Hero Academy
by Chatting Airborne
Summary: After reading a flier from Tidus, Sora and Riku travel to Olympus Coliseum to train for the prestigious yet mysterious "Land of Departure Key Blade Academy." The journey is long, but school is ten times worse. What's a gullible backwater kid to do in an institution known for heroes, villains, violence, betrayals, and love? [WARNING: Language and Sex Refs] YEAR TWO IS UP!
1. A Summer Program for Heroes

"Yo, Sora," called Riku from his mother's kitchen. Sora was in the apartment living room cutting up pictures of blitzball heroes. Keepa, Larbeight, Linna, Nimrook, Vuroja, Ropp, Irga, and Kulukan were spread in a crescent on the white carpet around his knees. Right now he was working to keep from cutting away the finer points of Isken's hair. All of the glossy men and woman had been collected from magazines Riku's mother was throwing out. Riku couldn't give a shit about blitzball and neither could his family, so whenever they were having a "cleanup house" Sora would sneak over and cut through the paperwork. He always found flat little treasures amongst their sticky pages. On multiple occasions he snagged perfume sample papers for his mother. Many a time they had provided a perfect last minute birthday or anniversary present. Oh, look, he found another. Stuck right between Nedus and Wedge's blitzballs.

"Sora, you're going to get glue on my mom's carpet!" bellowed Riku, and Sora yelped and tipped the rubber cement to the side. Within an instant Riku was skidding across the carpet and mushing up all of Sora's paper blitzball team, making the boy wail. When Riku hoisted himself up, he was holding the rubber glue at arm's length and screwing on the cap. His teeth were gritted.

"I can't leave you with anything!" he growled. Then he slipped into his mother's office. He wasn't usually allowed in there. Sora was never allowed in there. But he watched from the hallway as Riku rummaged around the darkness within and reappeared on solid wood floor. Without the cement glue.

"Aw, Riku, you ruin everything," Sora scowled. Riku slapped him on the back of the head as he walked by. When he got to the kitchen counter, he swept a letter into his hands and held it up for Sora to see.

"Check it," he said.

Sora tried to see it from a far but could not. So he stood and trudged to Riku's side. When he tried picking the letter from Riku's hands, the boy swept it high in the air so that Sora had to stand on his tippy toes to get it. It made the boy livid. In anger Sora stormed for the kitchen table and sat down with his face on his fists. Riku stood leaned against the counter.

"Sora, it's a summer camp for heroes."

"That's ridiculous," snapped Sora. "You can't decide who a hero is. They just are."

"Well this place gives you fighting training and lets you see other worlds," returned Riku. As he said it, Sora jumped from the kitchen table and stared at him. In a single pounce he snagged the poster from Riku's arms and scurried with it back to the white carpet.

 _"_ _Welcome to Olympus Coliseum Summer Program for Heroes! Achilles, Lightning, Actaeon, Cecil, Aeneas, Sephiroth, Bellerophin, Caius, Jason, Bartz, Meleager- you name it, we've trained it! Eighty places, eighty plus worlds, book your ticket today! Hosted annually by the partnership between Shinra Electric Power Company and The Land of Departure Keyblade Academy. Ticket Rates include price of: Lessons, Field Trips, Lodging, Transportation, Continental Breakfast, and Coupons for local diners."_

"This sounds awesome, Riku!" beamed Sora. Before he could take a breath the paper was snatched from his arms again. When Riku plopped onto his mother's plastic covered couch with it, Sora leaned over his shoulder to look at the rates.

"How much does it cost?" he asked.

"Five rates," responded Riku. "Pirate, Pauper, Peasant, Plebian, and Princess. Pirate isn't open to children under eighteen. Pauper isn't open to children under fifteen."

"Well it's a good thing I'm one year away!" Sora piped up with a wink.

"I'm gonna pretend I'm eighteen," responded Riku. Sora nearly spit up his saliva.

"Riku, you can't do that!" he gasped. "You might be sleeping in a jail cell! The Princess Rate is only, like, fifty bucks!"

"What the hell, Sora, the rate is in drachmas not dollars!"

"How much is a drachma worth?" asked Sora. "Is it like a pound?"

"One drachma is eighty dollars!"

"WHAT?" Sora grabbed for the paper again, but was thwarted. Instead he slid over the couch cushions and onto the white carpet face first. As his torso slopped onto the faux wool behind him, he calculated on his fingers. Then he raised his head. "What's eighty times fifty?"

"Four thousand," responded Riku. Sora choked.

"FOUR THOUSAND," he screeched. Riku called for him to shush. But it was of little use. Sora gasped and sputtered like a fish out of water.

"How would I even _get_ that money?" Sora wailed. Riku told him to calm down.

"Sora, relax, the Peasant Rate is only twenty three."

"How much is that?"

"Uh, about two thousand," Riku responded. Sora threw himself to the ground again.

"TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS!"

Riku was getting fed up curbing Sora's enthusiasm. He leaned against the back of the couch with his head in his palms. Sora grew reasonable enough to ask what the Pauper rate was.

"Thirteen," responded Riku. "And don't even ask about the Pirate because you'd never pass off for eighteen. You barely pass off for your own age."

"I am so mature for fourteen!" Sora gasped. Riku only had to look down at the cherry red pumpkin shorted romper to prove differently. Sora fiddled with the zipper that extended from his neck to his belly button, rearranged his bright blue belt, and fixed the sweater jacket that fit him best when he was ten with dignity. The swivel of his clown shoed feet as he stood threatened to head for the door.

"Sora," groaned Riku. "You're being an idiot. You know you'd never pass for eighteen."

"Neither would you," Sora responded. "Nobody else I know wears their sister's belt bracelets around their ankles!"

"Their pant leg cuff clips for my chaps, Sora!" Riku snapped.

"Who wears chaps?" responded Sora. Riku was at a loss of words. In anger he threw the poster to the ground and left for the kitchen.

"Look, insult my style all you want, Sora, but you know as well as I do that it's true," he muttered. While he hunted around the freezer Sora gathered his blitzball cutouts and searched beneath the coffee table for his scrapbook.

"Where's my Elmer's, Riku?" he asked. Riku said he didn't know what he was talking about. He was too busy slipping out some freezer bagged red-sauced chicken wings and setting the oven. Made Sora's stomach grumble. With a scowl, he corrected that he wanted his cement glue, and that his mother had bought it for him for his last year of middle school. Along with the scrapbook.

"I hid it, Sora," Riku called. "I don't want you using it in my house."

"My mom gave that to me, Riku!" Sora barked.

"I'll return it when you leave," responded Riku. "I'm not letting you use it in here."

"I won't!" snapped Sora in reply. Riku ignored him. After setting the oven, he sat at the kitchen counter and stared at Sora with cool, distant eyes.

"How about we do this, Sora?" he whispered. Sora looked at him with raised eyebrows. Riku held up the poster.

"I don't even know how this damn paper made its way to Destiny Islands. Tidus showed it to me, and he got it from some friend who stayed at their house for the Jecht Memorial Cup last week. Nothing ever comes here."

"So?" asked Sora. Riku leaned towards him with glimmering eyes.

"So," he whispered, "This is our chance to finally get out of here! To go on an adventure!"

"How do we get the money for the ship?" croaked Sora through coming tears. It was easy for Riku to make him emotional. It was the way he said things. Like the choices he made were ultimatums.

"We do odd jobs after school to save up," whispered Riku in return. "We go to the docks, we ask Kairi if we can work for her dad, I don't know. If that doesn't work, we build a raft and follow the ship."

"Shit," whispered Sora in wonder. "That sounds fantastic."

"But we cannot tell Kairi," Riku added. Sora cocked his head to the side and asked why not. Riku rolled his eyes.

"Because obviously, she'll want to come."

"Why can't she come?" asked Sora. Riku looked at him with a flat expression. "You want to have to look after her the whole time?"

"No."

"Exactly. You'll be enough of a responsibility. I don't want to add another." With that, Riku winked and patted Sora on the shoulder. Behind the boys, the chicken wings beeped. As Sora got out plates Riku slipped the wings from the oven. Then, once everything was on the table and the oven turned off, they sat down and dug in. After taking a bite of one well-sauced chicken wing and chewing, Sora drummed the bitten end against his chin.

"Say, Riku," he mumbled. "This is a little scary, isn't it?"

"It isn't scary at all," responded Riku. "Tidus's dad did it. My sister did it. And like she says, she didn't have a choice. The chance called and she took it."

"How do you know she said that?" asked Sora. Riku shrugged and said that she sent letters. When Sora demanded to see physical proof, Riku washed his hands and signaled for Sora to follow him. Both moved from the kitchen tile into the wooden floor hallway. Riku's mother's office was on the end of the hall. There were two doors on each side. On the left, his mother's and his sister's. On the right, his, and the bathroom. Riku headed into his own and switched on his light. Then he reached underneath his bed, brought out a tin cookie can, and popped it open. It was full of knick-knacks, like letters and souvenirs. Riku rummaged around until he found a sky blue envelope with a gold sticker sealing its front. Sora stared at the paper in awe. He wanted to touch it. But when he reached out Riku slapped his hand and opened it himself. Then he took out the letter. It was written in a bad scrawl. Someone hadn't done well in handwriting. Sora gave a silent fist pump in the air. When Riku caught him he asked what Sora was doing.

"Nothing," Sora mumbled in return. He leaned closer to Riku's shoulder and bit his lip as his friend began reading the letter.

 _"_ _Dear Riku,"_ Riku began. _"I apologize for leaving so suddenly. This was something that I needed to do. I am okay. I am even having fun. I am working hard. I am happy. Has mom gotten her letter? I sent both at the same time. I did not mean to leave you behind. The chance came and I took it. I don't know when I would have gotten another chance. But I will come home as soon as I can to see how you are doing. Behave for me, and keep practicing your sword fighting! Don't forget what I taught you. See ya. Sice."_

Riku dropped the letter into Sora's lap with satisfaction. When Sora reached to pick it up, Riku snapped for him to be gentle with it. Sora read through the whole letter with his breath held. Then he blew it back to Riku, who folded it back up and returned it to the cookie tin with care.

"Told ya," he muttered. As he shoved the cookie tin back beneath the bed, Sora sighed in wonderment. "It's just great, isn't it?" he sighed. "Great that moments like this come."

"Yeah, Sora, but we're not kids anymore," muttered Riku. "To take the moment we've got to catch it first. Start deciding what you want to bring. And start figuring out how we're going to get that money."

With starry eyes Sora responded that he would dedicate his life to preparing. He sat in silence for a long while thinking about it. About what they would do once they got to "Olympus Coliseum"- wherever that was. He would have to practice his sword fighting.

"And remember, this is between us," Riku muttered. Sora nodded. But he was too busy imagining shooting a blitzball with Linna and Nimrook. There was a crackling sound beside him. When he turned to the side, he noticed Riku slipping a big bag of chips from beneath his sheets.

"My mom doesn't know about these," he muttered. He dug in and pulled out the smallest crisp he could find. Ate it in one bite. Then he gave the bag to Sora and demanded that he eat with it under his chin. He didn't want the crumbs getting on the floor. When Sora pulled out the biggest chip he could find, Riku slapped his hand and made him get a smaller one so he could eat in one bite.

"I'b ekfided," mushed Sora. Riku nodded and closed his eyes. Pretty soon Sora found himself doing the same.


	2. The Quest for Cash

For the next three weeks Sora practiced sword fighting relentlessly. At recess, at lunch, before school, after school, in his house, on the island. Any place he could get his feet on. Riku practiced, too. But it was difficult for him to find a partner that matched his skill level. So he had Tidus, Selphie, Wakka, and Sora all go against him at once. Kairi would cheer them on from the sidelines. Right now her days were concentrated on a little charm that she was trying to sew together. She had a little black market business for homemade jewelry going on at the middle school during the day. A few times Sora had wandered over to ask her how she made them. But he lost interest every time she got to the second knot.

For his moneymaking efforts so far he had received two hundred dollars. He offered to mow lawns, water flowers, dog sit, bag groceries, tell jokes, make faces, and scare away birds. If it had not been for Riku giving him ideas, he wouldn't have made half as much. He often asked Selphie about her babysitting rates. But she told him she charged more because she was certified in CPR.

"How much does it cost to get certified?" Sora asked.

"Uh, thirty bucks," Selphie responded.

Sora had decided after that that he would stick with dog sitting.

But of course, the mad dash money schemes and the sudden upsurge in fight training had everyone curious about why Riku and Sora were so hell bent on being the best and richest combatants in Destiny Islands. One day, after Sora had thrashed Wakka, Selphie, and Tidus all at once and as he stood gloating over his victory, Tidus trudged towards him and patted him on the back. Wakka called that he needed to go for blitzball practice at the high school, and Selphie disappeared with Kairi to help with her jewelry. Riku was at work right now. He had gotten a job at the shipyard hauling boxes and making sure boats were tied properly. But Tidus did not have club blitzball until seven, and he and Sora stowed their backpacks in the island shack and walked along the shore. When they ducked underneath the bridge leading to the big circular platform, Tidus turned to Sora and asked what was up. Sora asked what Tidus meant.

"You just seem different," the boy murmured. "You're always talking about money and "hero time" and stuff."

"But "hero time" is my catchphrase!" Sora cried.

"I thought, "nothing to it" was your catchphrase," responded Tidus. "You have _never_ said "hero time" before last week."

"I have, too!" barked Sora. He tried thinking of a time before when he had used "hero time." But nothing came. In irritation he swept a pebble from the sand and tried skipping it across the surf. It plunked right through. Sora scowled. Tidus rested at his side.

"You doing the hero academy in Olympus Coliseum?" Tidus asked. Sora choked on his saliva.

"How did you know about that?" he gasped. "Did Riku tell you?"

"No, Sora, I was the one who told Riku!" Tidus laughed. "I was the one who gave him the poster! Did he show it to you or something?"

For a moment Sora narrowed his eyes and stared at Tidus. He had promised Riku that he would not tell anyone about Mount Olympus. But, there was no harm in talking about it if the person already knew, right? Defeated, Sora broke into a grin and giggled.

"We're planning on going," he whispered. In return, Tidus beamed. "I want to do it, too!" he cried. "I'm gonna try making my adoptive parents feel guilty so they'll give me money," he added. Sora gaped.

"You can't do that Tidus!"

"Why not?"

"Because it's wrong! That's taking advantage of people!"

"But I wanna be a hero, too!" he pouted, folding his arms over his chest. Sora rolled his eyes and patted Tidus's shoulder.

"How's about you start hanging around with me?" Sora tried. "We'll totally make some green if we both act cute."

"Yeah, let's act cute!" Tidus beamed. "Then we'll make tons of green!"

Feeling rather fatherly, Sora took Tidus under his wing and waltzed him across the shore, talking about all the great things they were going to do together once they got to the Coliseum. Then, for fun, they fought. Sora with his wooden sword, and Tidus with his red rod. Sora trounced him easily. When the latter took to pouting again, Sora promised that if they kept practicing, Tidus would get tons better. As he thought of the raft, stars came into his eyes.

"We're gonna build a raft and sail after the ship if we don't get enough money together," he whispered. Tidus furrowed his brows.

"You'd never catch a ship with a raft," he muttered.

Sora decided never to talk with Tidus about the raft again. Instead he went on about Riku and how much money he wondered he had made.

"Probably, like, three hundred," he sighed. Tidus's eyes nearly popped out of his head. When Sora added that he had made two hundred Tidus cackled.

"Five hundred together?" he gasped. "Wow! You guys are rich, Sora!"

"Yeah, but the ticket to the Coliseum is thirteen drachmas," Sora sighed.

"How much is that?" responded Tidus. Sora bit his lip. He couldn't remember very well, so he shrugged and said, "about two thousand."

"TWO THOUSAND," Tidus screeched, and fell back against the sand. "Each," Sora added with badly hidden glee. Tidus rolled around his legs.

"Wow, wow, wow!" the boy cried. When he sat up, his head swayed.

"I gotta tell Wakka," he whispered. "He'll help me make money."

"Just don't tell Selphie," Sora warned. When Tidus asked why not, he told him that if he told Selphie, she would tell Kairi.

"Why don't you want Kairi knowing?" Tidus asked.

"Because Riku and I don't want to have to look after her," responded Sora. Tidus' expression breathed confusion. But he pursed his lips and shrugged all the same.

By this time the sun was a sliver on the cap of the ocean. The boys decided it was time to go home, so they headed for the pier to unhook their boats. Then they returned to the mainland, where they parted ways with a wave.


	3. Fraying Nerves

It was now one week till the fated expedition for the ship. Upon searching the Internet, Riku had discovered that before they could go to Olympus Coliseum, all candidates for the Training Program had to have a Skype interview with a representative from Shinra and from the academy at the Land of Departure to see if they were "worthy." If more than four people from Destiny Islands made it through the interview process, they would all take a day's ferry to Luca Island. That was the only place in Destiny Islands that had a port big enough for their ride to Olympus Coliseum. Now that it was all out in the open, Riku, Sora, Tidus, and Wakka stuck together like glue. If one of them didn't get in, none of them got in. There was also a lot of pressure to make enough money for the trip, too. Wakka had tried using a fake ID to take out a loan, but he was turned away for being too young. His next course of action had been to follow Riku to the shipyard to help with shipments and fishing needs. Tidus was worried that his parents wouldn't let him go because he was too young, and because his biological father disappeared at sea when Tidus was seven. But if anyone was liable to the earnings from the Jecht Memorial Cup, it was he. One of the four- Riku suspected Tidus- had gone and told Selphie about the hero academy, and now she was saving up as well. It was only a matter of time before Kairi found out, too. Luckily, whenever Riku and Sora left school the whole blitzball team shielded them. Yeah, they knew as well. The circle of trust was getting ridiculously large.

But Selphie and Kairi seemed inseparable. They must have been babysitting together now. Or perhaps Kairi was deliberately avoiding Riku and Sora out of anger. Sora pondered it as he sat in his room, counting his money as Riku did his homework. Sora had the bills spread out over the sheets of his bed. Riku was creaking back and forth on his desk chair, letting the front legs lift off the ground and slam back down as he worked.

"So far I have two seventy five and forty two cents. Pretty good for four weeks, huh?" Sora beamed. Behind him Riku shrugged. When Sora asked how much he had made, he responded, "Six twenty two."

"You made six dollars and twenty two cents?" gasped Sora. Riku put down his pencil and knocked his head against Sora's desk. "Six hundred and twenty two dollars, Sora."

"How?" Sora wailed. Riku responded that he had been working at the shipyard with Wakka and his dad thirty hours a week.

"I'm pretty sure the blitzball team is putting Wakka and Tidus through. Tidus might be taking some of his inheritance to help Selphie. She's got her babysitting. I've got my birthday money, and I'll have the rest in a week."

"Well where does that leave me?" barked Sora.

"What do you mean, where does that leave you?" responded Riku.

"If I don't go through, no one goes through!" barked Sora in reply. Riku snorted.

"Sora, do the math. Selphie, Tidus, Wakka, Riku. That's four. Minimum was four. Looks like you lucked out."

Sora stared at Riku in shock. But the silver haired boy returned unfazed to his homework. Some type of trigonometry table. Sora gaped as he glanced from his desk to his window and out over the open sea. Perfect blue boats with white sails crept over the twinkling teal expanse. Suddenly he felt pissed off at himself for slacking on the raft. He wondered if he could pilot a raft alone.

"I can't believe you, Riku…" Sora whispered. He wanted to storm out and slam a door, but this was his own house, and his own room, so the effect of the action would be more comical than serious. Instead he stood and wandered for the door. As he got his hand on the knob, Riku added in an offhand sort of way, "oh, and I told Kairi that we were going."

"You WHAT?" snapped Sora. Again, Riku shrugged. "She cornered me and I couldn't say no to her. She's saving up. Maybe if you say sorry for keeping it a secret she'll teach you how to make bracelets." Then with a snort, he crossed out a wrong answer on his work sheet and flitted back to the page in the book that had the answers on it.

As Riku bit his pencil Sora stood at the door with his fists clenched. He wanted to muster up the courage to tell Riku to get out of his house and do his homework somewhere else. The thrum of the turning pages reverberated in his ears. The tap of the pencil. The creak of the chair legs as Riku swung back and forth. When Riku pushed back so that the front legs of the chair lifted through the air, Sora lunged forward and gave the floor bound back legs a big kick.

The legs buckled and twirled as Riku's weight toppled in the opposite direction. Before he could right himself the chair slammed onto its side behind the bed and crashed against Sora's cardboard "robot" with the jelly foam arms connected by string. Riku caught himself on his palms and the side of his leg as he tumbled at Sora's feet. After his shoulder met with Sora's blue-carpeted floor and he let out a loud curse, he swept up in front of his friend. The two stood nose to nose.

"What the fuck was that for?" Riku hissed. Sora blinked up at him in surprise, unable to say anything. The sound of an opening door reverberated in the hall outside. Sora's mother called that she was home and needed help with the groceries. Sora tried getting past Riku, but the boy clamped the knob and continued staring at Sora for an explanation. Sora shrank at his stare. After a debilitating silence there was a knock on his door. Sora's mother was right outside, asking for help.

"Coming, mom. Riku's standing in front of the door," Sora chanced. Riku scowled and went for the desk. He grabbed up his schoolbooks and shoved them in his backpack. Then he turned and pushed past Sora out the door. He almost ran into Sora's mother as he stormed out, but after a gruff "excuse me," he disappeared down the hall and out the front door. Sora's mother stared after him in confusion before looking back at her son.

"Sora," she whispered. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing," Sora muttered. He slipped past her and headed for the kitchen. His mother soon followed and they put away the groceries together. Then Sora disappeared back to his room to phone Kairi. The dial tone felt like it went on for years. When Kairi's mother finally answered and handed the phone to Kairi, Sora could barely talk his mouth was so dry.

 _"_ _Sora?"_ Kairi called across the line.

"Hey, Kairi," Sora responded like a naughty puppy. Kairi sighed.

 _"_ _Sora, I'm angry at you!"_ she snapped. _"Why did you and Riku keep secret that you were going away? We do everything together!"_

"Uh," Sora started. He didn't want to tell her they had decided she'd be a nuisance.

 _"_ _Did you think I'd be a nuisance?"_ Kairi barked.

"Well, uh, n- no…." Sora blubbered. Kairi chuckled.

 _"_ _I'll have you know, Sora, that I have booked my ticket for the summer hero training program already. I had my Skype interview and they really liked me."_

"Wait, wait, wait," snapped Sora, "how long ago did Riku tell you about this thing?"

 _"_ _Riku? Riku mentioned it yesterday. But I've known about it since the beginning of May."_

"How? Tidus gave the poster to Riku four weeks ago."

 _"_ _I got the poster five weeks ago and gave it to Selphie. I wasn't going to do the program. Then I found out you guys didn't want me coming and I changed my mind!"_

Sora slapped his palm to his face in exasperation. "How did you get it?" he asked.

 _"_ _A visitor for the Jecht Memorial Cup came to stay at our house for a night. He was handing it out at the game."_

"Did he stay with Tidus's adoptive parents too?" asked Sora. Kairi said she didn't know, but that Tidus's and her parents were really tight.

 _"_ _Sorry for keeping you in the dark, Sora,"_ she chirped. _"If you're having trouble getting enough money together I can give you some of my leftover bracelets and we can sell them at the game this weekend."_

"I was thinking of doing some sort of grandstander thing with one of my beach balls," Sora gushed. "Like a busker without the instrument."

 _"_ _Did you schedule a Skype interview yet?"_ asked Kairi. Sora responded that he did not know how.

 _"_ _Well, good luck finding out!"_ she chirped. Then she hung up the phone and left Sora gawking at the reflection in his window.


	4. An Interview with Shinra

"How do I press the button?"

"You press the button."

Sora and Wakka sat in the computer lab at the high school mulling over his new Skype account. In the open window there was Sora's profile picture, his phone number, his very short list of contacts, and in the very center of the screen, three buttons. One was red and had a phone turned down. One was green and had the phone turned up. The last was green, oblong, and had a picture of a square, a triangle, and then a phone turned up at the side. There was a clock in the far right hand corner, along with the day, month, and year. It made Sora deeply uncomfortable.

"Maybe if I just tap every button at the same time, something will go right…"

"Let me," Wakka interrupted. In the process of sweeping the keyboard from Sora's grubby grip Wakka wacked him in the nose. While Sora recovered, Wakka checked the time.

"Your appointment is at six. I'll go to the far end of the room and pretend to be a random student. Then you just talk. Don't press a thing."

"Then how do I turn the call off? Sora asked.

"Let them turn it off," responded Wakka.

"What if they don't?" returned Sora.

"They will," replied Wakka. The clock turned six. When Sora reached for the mouse, Wakka slapped his hand away. Five minutes passed with Wakka staring at the screen like he was hunting for prey in its white, pixelate frame. Just as Sora reached for the mouse again, some sort of ringtone reverberated across the computer lab and the screen changed colors. A big picture of a tortoise materialized at the center and began bouncing up and down with a green circle beneath it.

"That's them," barked Wakka. "Get ready."

With a yelp Sora settled into his chair and gave the thumbs up. Then, Wakka clicked the "accept call" button and scurried across the computer lab like a bat out of hell. When Sora turned for the computer he yelped again. On the screen was the live feed of two clones with bright red hair. One had a great tuft of crimson fluff for hair that seemed to grow shorter the lower it got down the man's scalp. A long crimson rat's tail extended in a braid from the crown of his neck. His twin looked like a shaven faced Simba on a bad mane day. Both had startling, feline green eyes that twinkled as they watched Sora's technological incompetency.

 _"_ _Hello, prospie,"_ sang the one with the tuft. Sora stared at him in confusion and corrected that his name was Sora.

For a moment the two men looked at each other. Then, after busting out in laughter, they apologized for their mistake and asked Sora why he had decided to apply to the hero-training program.

"I wanna be a hero," Sora replied. He heard skin slap against skin. When he glanced around the lab to the seats behind him, he noticed that Wakka had his head in his palm.

 _"_ _Are you in a public place, Sora?"_ asked the twin with the mane. Sora nodded and said he was in the high school computer lab. _"At six?"_ the man with the mane inquired. Sora nodded again.

"My friend Wakka skipped blitzball practice to help me get my Skype account set up. He's here right now, I didn't sneak in."

"Fuck, Sora…" moved a whisper on the wind behind him.

 _"_ _Okay, we already have a Wakka on our list, so you're going to have to ask him to leave you alone for a little while so we can talk to you. Is that cool?"_

"Um…" Sora started. Behind him was the thrash of a chair pulling away from a table. When Sora turned, Wakka mouthed that he would pretend to go outside.

"No, you gotta leave, Wakka!" Sora responded in a near shout. Across the screen the twins exchanged a sideways glance. Wakka clapped his hand to his face and mouthed, "Fuck it." Then, he grabbed his backpack and stormed out of the lab to wait outside. When he was gone, Sora turned to the interviewers and gave a weak smile. The two men grinned. Then the one with the rat-tail patted the spikey lion on the back and left. The lion man turned to Sora.

 _"_ _Okay, Sora, why do you want to be a hero?"_

Sora tapped his chin and wrinkled his nose. "Gosh," he murmured. "I never really thought about it. I guess I want to be as strong as my friend, Riku. So I can protect the people I love…"

 _"_ _That's great, Sora,"_ the lion man replied. _"Real hallmark magic."_

"Will all the questions be this hard?" Sora asked. The red lion snorted and moved on.

 _"_ _Alrighty. You are in a dark room with a crying child on the other end. A line of lasers separates you. If you pass the lasers you will be incinerated and she will die. What do you do?"_

"I save her?" Sora croaked.

 _Okay, let's try…"_ the man flitted through a pamphlet held somewhere around his lap. He took a sip of coffee as he glanced through. _"You are in a second dark room with a second crying child. There's a knife on the table. You kill the kid, you save humanity. You save the kid, humanity dies."_

"I save her," Sora repeated.

 _"_ _You a secret misanthrope, Sora?"_

"What's a manta lope?" Sora asked. "I mean if she's right in front of me, I'll save her. Then I'll get the bad guys and everyone will be fine."

 _"_ _Sometimes being a hero involves making hard decisions, Sora. Are you willing to make hard decisions?"_

"I just know that I have faith in the world," cried Sora in return, sticking his face against the screen with passion. "And with the power of friendship, I'll save everyone!" Then he threw his arms over his chest and crossed them, adding, "What's with these questions? They aren't very heroic!"

 _"_ _Minerva,"_ muttered the lion man in disbelief. Then he closed his pamphlet and looked Sora in the eye.

 _"_ _Say, Sora. Let's put away the paperwork for a minute. Are you a leader or a follower?"_

"I don't know," Sora muttered. "I don't like these questions anymore."

 _"_ _What would you say your greatest attribute is?"_

"My friends."

 _"_ _Second best?"_

"My trust."

 _"_ _Third?"_

"My determination."

 _"_ _Fourth?"_

"I don't have anything else."

 _"_ _No special talents?"_

"Staying true to my friends." He left out the part where he forgot to tell Kairi about the summer program.

 _"_ _Well, then, alright, Sora. It was a pleasure talking with you."_

"That's all?" Sora blubbered. The lion man nodded and responded, "that's all," and that they'd be getting back with him before the week was through. But before the man could end the call, Sora asked for him to wait. When he had the man's attention, he asked why he had a tortoise for a profile picture.

 _"_ _I like tortoises,"_ responded the man. When Sora asked him what his name was, he responded that it was Axel.

 _"_ _Got it memorized?"_ the man asked. Sora nodded with vigor. In return Axel laughed. Then he set his face on his hand and stared. Sora stared back. A frown played across Axel's face. Sora glanced at the Skype clock. 6:09. 6:10. A minute passed and the stare down continued. Sora wiped his wet palms against his red pumpkin shorts.

 _"_ _Um,"_ Axel chuckled. Then he leaned in and intoned, _"_ Good _bye,_ _Sora."_

"Goodbye." Sora responded. 6:12. He continued to stare. Axel's look of confusion only grew.

 _"_ _Uh, Sora?"_ he asked. Before Sora could respond, the door to the computer lab slammed open and Wakka came rushing forward. When Sora turned and saw him, he yelped and started pressing buttons on the keyboard. Spider solitaire popped up out of nowhere along with a saved YouTube video of a scantily clad man doing pushups. Finally Wakka wrestled the keyboard from Sora's grip. Then, he gave a weak grin to Axel, said goodbye and thanked him for his time, and ended the call. For a minute both boys separated and panted over the empty Skype screen. Then, Sora slumped in his seat and groaned. Wakka groaned with him.

"I'm sorry for wrestling the keyboard from you. You never know what embarrassing things might happen when you press the wrong button."

"Thanks for helping," responded Sora. Things went quiet until Wakka asked Sora how it went.

"Well I answered the questions wrong, I shouted at him, and I asked him why his profile picture was a tortoise," Sora muttered. Before Wakka could console him with a pat on the back, the boy sprang up and set his hands on his hips.

"I think I got in!"


	5. The Ferry to Luca

Tidus, Selphie, Wakka, Riku, Sora, and Kairi chattered as they walked for the ferry to Luca Island. Miraculously, every single one of them had gotten through. As Riku previously hypothesized, Tidus used his inheritance to pay for his hero training ticket. Selphie used her babysitting money. Kairi's parents supplied her ticket. The blitzball team put Wakka through. Riku made another four hundred dollars from old savings and his fourth week of work and paid for his own. With the help of his beach ball, his parents, his odd jobs, the blitzball team, Kairi's black market bracelets, and her dad making him his "secretary" for a week, Sora scraped by with one thousand and ninety, the exact price of the Pauper ticket and the ferry to Luca. He would mooch off of everyone else's food for the rest of the day's journey. And, his mother and father had packed him fresh tuna sandwiches. He had five of them in a little cooler his mother had bought for the trip, and his check on bag was filled with his un-inflated beach ball, parasol, two swimsuits, fishing tackles, lures, rods, some fresh underpants, shampoo, soap, deodorant, toothbrush, floss, toothpaste and such, and a fat envelope filled with his cash. Riku told him to put the envelope in the bottom of his shoe, but Sora refused because he didn't want it getting stinky. So he put it in his back pocket instead.

As the four of them walked side by side down the orange clay cobblestones from town, they whistled. Selphie was wearing her normal yellow dress with the kangaroo pouch and the overall hooks connecting the shoulder straps, but slung around her waist was a black matador style jacket with beautiful silver and grey embroidery around the shoulders. Kairi wore new, pink high top sneakers. She had taken out all the laces and tied them precariously around her calves. It looked weird with her purple skort and white over black cami, but hey ho. Her beach clogs were in her backpack. Riku looked the same as always except for a denim jacket peeking out of his luggage. Looked like he had starched his chaps, too. They were looking especially plump today. Wakka and Tidus wore runners instead of sandals. Sora wore his normal clothes, meaning his pumpkin pant romper and waist high sweater jacket. That was about as normal as any Destiny Islanders' sense of style got.

When they reached the pier they said hello and thank you to Wakka's dad for employing Riku for the last month. Riku shook his hand. Wakka gave his dad a "hug" that looked more like a punch and wrestle. When they separated Wakka's dad gave Selphie and Tidus a gentler hug and asked them where they needed to go. When they responded that they needed the ferry to Luca, Wakka's dad offered to take them to Luca in his long liner. Everyone except for Riku was about to say no. If it weren't for his quick, flat "yes," they all would have gone on the ferry. But instead of living life to the fullest on the bow of a high-class vessel, they were stuck in Wakka's dad's long liner inch deep in offal and fishing tools.

To escape the stench, the four kids excluding Wakka and Riku slipped to the very tip of the liner. Wakka acted as first mate for his dad and his dad's friend who came along to trade off piloting the boat. The roar of the motor thundered through the boat's stern, and soon the propeller was twisting beneath the waves. The other fishermen at port waved to Wakka's dad as he pulled out of the harbor. Then, once the port was a spec on the horizon, Wakka's dad relaxed and pointed forward.

"Look ah thah theyah!" he boomed from the wheel. Ahead of the ship a school of dolphins slipped above and beneath the waves like silver swords. Wakka's dad laughed as the kids hunched over the left side of the gunwale to get a closer look.

"Can we feed them?" asked Kairi.

"Shoowah, pick up soma dat gut an pitch it in," he called. Kairi glanced down at the offal running back and forth down the sides of the main deck and decided against it. Wakka's dad chortled.

"Bettah not, anyway," he called, "we don wan by catch." He and his friend laughed together. Just when Sora and Tidus thought they could start being lazy for a while, Wakka's dad's friend called them to the pilothouse for some "man" time. One by one the boys crept around the main deck to where the long ropes and plastic boxes of fishing lures were kept. Wakka's dad's friend was seated against a cooler organizing lures and string. When he glanced up for his victims, he scowled. Selphie and Kairi were standing on tiptoes behind the boys to see what he was doing. They refused to leave, so the man shrugged and gave everyone little pieces of blue rope and a lure. Then he asked if they knew how to tie a snood knot.

"No," everyone but Tidus said. Riku and Wakka were up piloting the boat with Wakka's dad, so it was only Tidus, Sora, and the two girls.

"Ah'll teach ya," the man said with a grin. Then he demonstrated, taking the blue string and plunging it through the hole at the bottom of the lure. Once he got it through he circled it over the top and slipped it through again. "Now, you see this big loop I left- now Sora, don't pull that loop closed, now ya gotta start ovahr."

Sora fumbled to undo the knot he had pulled tight. Now the loop curving along the body of his lure was large enough to be floppy. "Now," Wakka's dad's friend explained, "we twurl tha loop around the lure lahk ah bahton." With his left hand he swirled the string around the body of the lure. "Make sure those loops is nice and tigh lahk bed bugs," he added, pressing the loops together and continuing to swirl the remaining loop around the lure until he made it to the beginning of the curve. "Then yah pull both ends and thur ya go. Snood." He brandished his snood knot with pride and examined everyone else's. When Sora attempted tugging both ends of his lure, it pinged out of his hand and caught Selphie in the arm. She backed away with a yelp.

"Ah, don worry bouh thah," said Wakka's dad's friend. "Iz mostly fresh."

Selphie pulled the lure from her arm with a gulp and sniffled a little when it drew blood. Tidus offered to look for a Band-Aid, but Wakka's dad's friend sent Sora instead. While Sora trudged away, the man announced that the next knot they would be learning was the Snell knot. As Sora crept up the bridge ladder and made his way to the pilothouse, he heard Wakka and Riku talking. Wakka's dad was gone. Instead of going right in, Sora stayed outside for a second to eavesdrop.

"Why did you want to go with my dad?" asked Wakka. Riku did not move. "I thought it would be cool to ride in a long liner." He muttered. Wakka snorted.

"You've been riding in this long liner for a month," he said. "Did you not have money for the ferry?"

Riku was silent. Wakka shook his head. "Shoulda told us, man. I wouldn't a minded going on the ferry, myself. But my dad loves the bonding time. He's basking in this."

"So why are you bitching if it turned out alright?" returned Riku. Wakka's shoulders shot up. His eyes widened. Sora knocked on the door and made the boys jump. Riku composed himself quickly and returned to piloting. Sora tried on a big grin.

"So, uh, I stuck a lure in Selphie's arm," he announced. Wakka broke into laughter. Then he led Sora out of the pilothouse and down the ladder towards the hull. They made their way through the hatch to the ship's belly just as Wakka's dad came out of it with a cooler of sandwich stuff. When he saw both of them, he stopped and asked what they were looking for.

"Band-Aids," Wakka said. "Sora stuck a lure in Selphie's arm."

"By accident," Sora qualified. Wakka's dad laughed too. Then he told the boys to follow him into the hull.

There turned out to be a break table and a fridge down there. Place still stank of fish, though. Possibly worse here, even, because there wasn't much ventilation. Wakka's dad set the cooler on the little wooden table and told the boys to sit tight. As he hunted for the Band-Aids, Wakka sighed and looked around. He pointed to the table with a chuckle.

"That's our old kitchen table," he said. "When mom bought a new one, this one moved here. Up till then the guys ate on the tile. Got a few old chairs from the junkyard and nailed them to the floor, too. Pretty cool, right?"

"Yeah," Sora muttered. He was putting ideas in his pocket for his raft. A table and chairs would not be half bad. Or a fridge. Or a propeller for that matter.

"Did your dad pack lunch?" Sora asked. Wakka chuckled. "Looks like it. Your tuna sandwiches may have to wait."

"Okay. I'll stick 'em in the fridge for later," Sora said. Wakka helped him stuff his own cooler in. Then they met with Wakka's dad and heaped back up the ladder towards Selphie. Wakka's dad rubbed her arm with disinfectant and slipped the Band-Aid on. Then he patted her sore arm and turned for the pilothouse. As he left, his friend announced that they used to pee on wounds in the olden days. Then he pulled out more line to make knots with.

They made knots for a solid four hours. Half way through Selphie wandered back to the ship bow to look at the water. Kairi stayed with the boys till the knot tying's bitter end. She was very good at them. Wakka's dad's friend told her she was a natural fisherman. When the lures and strings had been returned to their plastic carrying case, the sun was high and relentless. Wakka's father asked if the kids wanted to go deep-sea swimming. Everyone responded in the affirmative.

One by one they put on their swimsuits and sunscreen. Wakka's dad found a good place to drop anchor. Then he swept the ladder over the boat side, secured it in place, and told the kids to jump off. Riku stayed on the boat. Everyone else dived off the edge and paddled around perfect, teal waves. There was not a cloud in the sky, no wind, and few birds. Sora slipped on his goggles and dived beneath the water, seeing if they were near anything interesting. No reefs here. He scowled and popped to the surface again. Tidus and Wakka were racing around the boat. With a grin Sora joined them. There was a large splash behind him. When he whizzed around to see what monster lurked at his back, Riku's head popped from beneath the waves. A grin spread across his face. When he slipped after Wakka and Tidus, Sora and Kairi followed with glee. Selphie dashed behind as well, until they were all circling the boat and screaming. Wakka's dad laughed as he watched. When Wakka and Riku had had enough and got out, Wakka's dad jumped in. When he returned to the ship his friend jumped in next. Ages passed. A whistle rung through the air and the kids scowled. Time to go. They all climbed the ladder one by one until Wakka's father had counted them all. Everyone slipped towels over them and put on their boots to avoid the offal. Wakka's dad's friend jumped up the ladder and towards the pilothouse. As the anchor reeled up, the kids crept to the bow and lay along its sides to sunbathe.

Wakka's dad gave Riku and Wakka a break while he and his friend piloted together. Wakka handed out food and water to everyone. Then Wakka's dad came out and talked about how to read the water. Everyone listened as they ate, or tried. There were more dolphins. The sun lowered. Wakka's dad taught the kids more knots and fishing techniques. Then he asked if they wanted to swim before sundown. Another rousing "yes." They were passing a small, uninhabited island now. Destiny Islanders sometimes came here for vacation or research because of the untouched reefs. As the long liner pulled close, Wakka's dad told the kids to leave the coral alone. Then they got their snorkels out, the ship dropped anchor, and they jumped in. Schools of striped grunts, trumpet, butterfly, and angelfish drifted by Sora's goggles without care. The reefs shone pink and gold and the sand washing between their coral glowed white and soft as snow. Sora spotted a sand diver hiding amongst a tuft of seaweed and blew at it to scare it. He felt a pinch on his foot and swirled around in fright. Riku laughed and slapped the younger's head underwater as he swam by. Sora hurried after him until they had both broke the waves and were running across the island sand.

They dashed through the shallows and onto the beach yelping and screaming until they were both so tired that they sunk to the ground. They lay side by side, grinning.

"I am so glad we went with Wakka's dad," Sora breathed. Riku nodded.

"He really knows how to have fun."

"Do you think Olympus Coliseum will be this fun?"

"If it has a beach, yeah. But there'll be other stuff. Better stuff, probably."

"Yeah."

There was the sound of sinking sand behind them. Soon Kairi was at their side.

"Are you guys having fun?" she asked. Both boys nodded. They all lied down to watch the seagulls circling the sky. Then Sora coughed.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the summer program," he murmured. Riku rolled his eyes, but Kairi said it was okay. "As long as we all have fun I'll let it slide," she murmured. "But it's not fair leaving me out of things just because I don't have as much practice as you guys. If you had let me sword fight too, maybe I'd be more prepared."

"Alright," responded Riku. He jumped up and searched for a few sticks. When he found them he threw one at Kairi and told her to advance. When she lunged at him he wacked her in the leg. When she cried out, he chuckled and told her she needed to block him. Huffing, Kairi took a more defensive position and blocked successfully. Then she slapped Riku on the arm. After yelping and jumping to the side, Riku laughed and taught her how to parry. Then he showed her parts of the body to go for. He and Sora fought with her. Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka made their way over. Everyone picked up a stick and went at it until Wakka and Tidus started wrestling. Selphie and Kairi collected seashells. Riku and Sora raced. Then Wakka's dad whistled and everyone trudged back to the boat.

Everyone had dinner in the hull, at the table. Wakka's dad drew beer for Wakka, Riku, and Sora. Kairi wanted some as well, so Sora gave her half of his. Wakka's dad and his friend glanced towards each other and chuckled. There was round corn, gourd potato salad, fish burgers, and striped apples and honey for desert. Sora blinked at the feast in amazement. He wondered if Wakka's dad had been planning this for a while. Then again, the corn was kind of hard and the burger bread was a tad stale. Maybe it had been in the fridge for a couple days. After dinner Wakka's dad told stories while his friend pulled the boat away from the island. As the sun set and day became night, Wakka's dad described going toe to toe with a baby geosgaeno in the Besaid Sea. Then, at around ten, he herded everyone to bed so he could get some shuteye. Riku volunteered keeping Wakka's dad's friend company during his pilot shift. Wakka's dad fell asleep at the kitchen table. The rest of the kids slept on a dingy straw mattress in the room beside. The sun cleared its journey through the sky. Then it blinked up and started another.


	6. Xehanort Nimoy, with Advantages

For such an uncomfortable bed, Sora slept like a log till nine. Riku and Wakka's dad's friend didn't wake till twelve. That was when the ship came to port at Luca. The whole journey felt like a big vacation. And with Wakka's dad blowing the ship horn for everyone to rise and shine, Sora grew so excited he could hardly contain himself. He watched with Kairi and Selphie for hours as the ship grew closer and closer to Luca's towering rainbow spires. Now, as he passed the famous blitzball stadium with his arm close enough to brush against the steeples at its side, Sora felt limitless. As Wakka's dad looked for a suitable place to drop anchor, his friend patted his back and said he'd take over. With that done and the ship at port, the kids gathered their belongings and hopped off the boat onto the bleached white wood of the dock. Past where wood turned to tile there were inlaid mosaics of what looked like golden hearts. Sora's mouth dropped as he looked around him. Boxes upon boxes of shipments lined the area. A tall white carven tower loomed at the dock's far end. The blitzball stadium was a five-minute ferry away. Sora sighed as he looked upon it.

"Alrigh, kids!" Wakka's dad announced, leading them from the dock to the banners signaling the entrance to Luca City. He glanced about for the tram that would lead them towards the train station. When it trundled out from a side street nearby, Wakka's father signaled it down with a thundering whistle and everyone scrambled on. The trams in Luca were free, but the trains were not. So once the kids got the end of the line on the first tram, they boarded another. Two hours passed. Everyone ate Sora's tuna sandwiches. Wakka's dad munched leftovers from the feast the night before. Finally they reached a suitable stop and Wakka's dad said they could get off. Then he waltzed up to the train station kiosk nearby and asked for "Archie." As the man at the desk disappeared to find him, Wakka's dad winked at the kids and told them to "watch and learn." When Archie, a fat balding man in a conductor's suit in his late forties, trundled out from behind the ticket counter and met eyes with Wakka's dad, he burst into a howl of pleasure and the two men engaged a mighty hug. Wakka's dad whispered in Archie's ear and Archie patted him on the back. Then his expression soured and he jumped away and cursed.

Enraged, Wakka's dad threw his hands in the air and flung them in Archie's direction. Archie did the same, and the men got into a match to see who could scream, "fie" the loudest. After Archie returned red faced to the ticket office and Wakka's dad returned to the kids' sides, he set his hands on his waist.

"What did we watch and learn, dad?" asked Wakka. His dad gave a weak grin and responded, "off to anotha tram!"

The team charged for the next tram and took it to the end of the line. For three hours they hopped from tram to tram, until the transportation service reached the city end. It stopped a short distance from a massive white wall with what looked like a terrace at the top. Wakka's dad asked what time the kids needed to be at their ship, and Riku said, "six thirty." Wakka's dad sighed in disappointment. It was five, now. He had wanted to take them walking through Luca Forest. But there was no time. Instead he walked the kids up the steps and through the white wall's entrance. Then, after looking out at Luca City from the terrace, they all walked around the botanical gardens and Wakka's dad talked about the plants inside. At five thirty, he brought them into a local bar to watch the preshow for the blitz ball game at six. The bar's interior flowered with plants. The walls glowed green, and spheres of light with hexagonal indentations lined the walls. There was a blue, green, and yellow carpet lining the bar entrance with two gated seating areas on either side. While the kids went to sit at the bar's left hand corner near a personal TV screen, Wakka's dad asked them what they wanted to eat. Then, he went to the bar.

Tidus and Sora set up a makeshift blitz ball tournament with salt and peppershakers. Condiment packs became players who pinged towards the goal posts with the help of Tidus and Sora's fingertips. Selphie joined in. Kairi sat obsessed over the new charm she was sewing. Wakka and Riku talked about his dad. When the man came back, he had drinks for the two of them and bar food for everyone else. When he looked at the bill his eyes nearly popped out of his head. But he insisted "no" with another weak grin when Riku tried putting in some money. Instead, Riku had everyone pass ten dollars to Wakka under the table so he could sneak it in his dad's wallet before they left.

When the clock ticked six fifteen, they cleared out from the bar and headed back to the terrace, searching for the exchange bureau the hero academy poster's fine print had spoken of. Finally they came across a makeshift kiosk with the poster tacked above its head. When they asked the man within how they could exchange their dollars for drachma, he told them to wait at the terrace center until the ship arrived. The party returned to the terrace center and leant over its balcony to watch the city as the sun waned. When the clock tower below tolled six twenty five, Tidus asked if Wakka was sure they were in the right place.

"Riku was the one who told us where to meet," Wakka retorted. Riku remained silent.

A shadow passed over the terrace square. Its shape was a triangle with pinched in, smoothed vertices. In confusion everyone glanced to the sky. Then their jaws dropped.

A spaceship.

A red spaceship with white symbols written on its sides blasted over the terrace square and swerved to stillness. The two engines on its rear spouted blue fire that sputtered and clicked as the ship made its descent. Little flaps in the white belly opened, and four metal pegs the size of Sora's leg unfurled from within.

"Clear the perimeter!" boomed a deep voice from the speaker in the ship's base, and Sora and his friends dashed to the edge of the terrace in fright. They watched, awed, as the ship landed with a thud. The cockpit opened in a furl of mist. Then, a massive blue alien with a black body suit and elephantine pads for feet uncurled from within and thundered to the ground. He was ten times Wakka's father's height and held what looked like a camera and a portable scanner in both hands. He had a soft grey, porpoise like face and two tusks on either side of his smooth grey head. His blue beady eyes narrowed as he looked each of the hero hopefuls up and down.

"Is this it?" he snapped. When he advanced upon Riku, Wakka's father charged in front of him and told the alien to back off. In return the giant rubbed his three-fingered palm against his brow and groaned.

"This is what the Galactic Federation gets for keeping the worlds separated!" he grumbled, adding, "but no matter," as he straightened himself out and retrieved a crinkled tissue from his pocket. When he unfurled it, Sora saw that it was the hero-training poster, the same one that had been given to Kairi's father by the mysterious Jecht Memorial Cup attendee. When Riku saw it, his eyes widened and he stepped around Wakka's father towards the creature.

"Is this ship our ride to Olympus Coliseum?" he asked. Sora was amazed at his composure. Riku remained relaxed. In return the alien groaned.

"No!" he barked. "This is the ship that takes you _to_ the ship that takes you to Olympus Coliseum!"

"That's all we need to know," Riku responded. His hands shook as he retrieved his wallet from his shoe. When he asked the alien where they paid for the tickets to the program, the alien replied that he would take his money once they entered the main ship. Then, he took his scanner and scrolled down, slipping a stylus from his breast pocket to check off their names.

"Selphie Timlitt?" he growled, and Selphie raised her hand and jumped up and down. The alien signaled for her to board the ship, and she did.

"Tidus Morita?" Tidus slipped around Wakka's father's back and padded towards the ship ladder as well.

"Kairi Panattiere?" Kairi charged forward.

"Wakka Nakai?" Wakka gave his father a hug and slipped the money for the bar food in his front pocket. His father was too shocked to object.

"Riku Miyano?" Riku sauntered forward in an attempt to act disaffected.

"Sora Nomura?" Sora stumbled forward as well, picking up to a jog until he reached Riku's side.

"Xehanort Nimoy?"

Everyone turned around with raised brows. Had they missed someone? Had there been a strange stowaway on Wakka's dad's long liner?

But there was no one in sight. The blue alien glanced from side to side before crossing that name off as well.

"Well!" he said to himself. "It looks like we'll have to give that princess ticket to someone else!" His ensuing cackle told Sora that he planned to take the princess ticket perks for himself.

"Alright everyone, move to the ship!"

As Sora, Tidus, Selphie, Wakka, Riku, and Kairi boarded the ship, a dark boy in a sleeveless black tunic, grey collared vest, knee high boots, and rather puffy breeches jogged towards the ship with his wallet in his hand and a traveler's backpack slung over his shoulder. When he reached the blue alien's side, he held up some sort of an ID and a copy of an email.

"Xehanort Nimoy II," he said. "With advantages."

"Tell that to the clerk when you try to pay," the alien snapped. Before he could give the boy a boot, the lad swerved up the stairs and met at the banister's top with Sora and his friends. As he met each of their glances, he stopped in his tracks and blinked, and Sora's party blinked back in awe.

The boy before them had a young, lean face. He seemed older than Riku and Wakka. Or maybe he was just tall. Either way, his grey hair, dark skin, and cool golden eyes made what looked like a fifteen or sixteen year old look a thousand. One by one he scanned his cool irises over them all. First Sora, then Selphie, then Tidus, Wakka, and Kairi, until they landed on Riku and stayed there. Riku stared back unabashedly. In return Xehanort smirked and brushed past him, knocking him against the shoulder as he disappeared ahead.

"Sorry," he called behind him in a soft, deep voice. Then, he was gone.

For a moment the kids stared at his receding frame in awe. Then, there was a snort from the back of the party, and Selphie cupped her hand over her mouth.

"Wow, guys, sorry to burst this big ol' bubble, but that was one hot tamale!" she barked with a mad grin. Kairi giggled and rocked from side to side, deep in thought. Though he did not speak, Wakka seemed perturbed. But before he could voice his discontent, the blue alien pressed past him towards the cockpit and commanded everyone to enter his or her seats. The party of six scrambled forward as quickly as they could. Behind them, the entrance to the ship shut tight, and green lights on either side of them pointed from the tiny chamber they stood within through a set of metal double sliding doors ahead. When the children went through they gasped.

It was like the inside of an airplane. There was plush blue carpet and shiny plastic chairs. There were four windows on either side of the seating area with tables and TVs at each side. The copper wire was showing through the TV cords, but nobody noticed because they happened to be in a spaceship. There was no warning before the ship lifted off from the ground, either, but as it did, the blue alien snapped his fingers from the cockpit.

"Oh, almost forgot!" he said. Swerving the ship back around, he pointed the cockpit towards Wakka's father. Out from the red metal covering popped what looked like a laser cannon. The tracking dot within centered right on Wakka's dad's nose. Then, before Wakka could protest, the blue alien shot a bolt of pink light right at the man's head. Wakka's dad turned into a puff of rose mist. As Wakka glanced on in horror, the alien laughed.

"What did you do to my father?" Wakka wailed.

"I exterminated him!" the alien cackled in return.

"No you didn't, he's right there!" Selphie announced. On the ground below, Wakka's father walked like a robot back to the tram beneath Luca's white walled terrace. As Wakka slammed his face against the glass to see where his father had gone, his expression became confused.

"Why is he walking so fast?" he asked. "He didn't even wave goodbye!"

"That is because I muddled his memory," shot back the alien. "As far as your pitiful Homo sapiens progenitor is concerned, he just finished shipping you off to a steamboat chugging from Luca City to the distant sands of the Olympia Isles, right off the coast of the Besaid Sea!"

"How far away is that place?" asked Sora.

"Very far!" the alien snapped in return. "Judging by the fact that it does not exist!" With that, he cackled again and took the spaceship into hyper drive. All except for Xehanort Junior yelped and slammed their heads against the backs of their seats as their faces were slowly peeled away from their skulls. When Sora tried turning to spy what Riku was doing, his eyes closed forcibly, and he was unable to see anything except the darkness of his own eyelids. When he turned to his window, and squinted, all he saw was the white blur of passing clouds. Soon the ship became unbearably hot, and as Sora squinted to look outside again, he noticed that blazes of flame whipped around the ship's back.

"We're gonna blow up!" Selphie screeched. The sky was changing from blue to purple to gold from the heat of their ascent. Gravity was changing. The ship drew faster. Then, as the party of six screamed what they thought would be their last breath, the ship shuddered and popped. When Sora opened his eyes and glanced out the window, he noticed Destiny Islands' shrinking form. As the spaceship thundered forward, Sora's home planet receded into the empty space behind. The alien in the cockpit pressed a button and gravity returned to the vessel. Sora sighed as he plopped into his seat. Then, he glanced out the window again.

A whole galaxy of silver stars shone right outside the glass. Sora leaned towards his home planet in wonder, squeezing the Islands between his fingers until it was a glowing blue sphere against a sea of endless black. Sora glanced above, to what looked like a glass sunroof at the ship ceiling's center. Instead of black space, there was a plain of white.

Their small red ship was being swallowed by the shadow of a much larger vessel, one with a belly the same color as the ivory sand beneath the waves back home. There was a black square at the center of the smooth white metal. It grew as the red ship drew towards it. Sora realized it was a doorway. When Sora's ship flew inside of it, his world turned completely black.


	7. The Spaceship to Olympus

Once Sora's eyes adjusted to the ship being inside the bigger ship, he noticed that they were moving upwards, but that it felt like they were moving forward. The wall in front of, or below their ship had green arrows pointing up or forward to a rectangular blue metal hatch above the ship's bow. The door from space outside closed. The green arrows glowed. Then, gravity changed again, and instead of Sora's back pressing into his chair as if he were lying down and pointed upwards, his legs began sinking as if he were seated upright again, and gravity were beneath him. His perspective of his surroundings transformed. Then, the big metal door ahead burst open and the ship crept forward. Sora's eyes adjusted again. They were now inside what looked like a launch room for cargo ships. There were strange, massive pink and purple boxes scattered about with locks latched into their sides. Sora wondered what was inside them. At the head of the room were two blasters and a control panel with a big red "X" glowing on its screen. High up on the left of the room was a balcony and a huge rectangular door leading to a hall. On the other side, stacks of purple boxes lead to a mysterious circular corridor. Sora pressed his face against his window to look inside.

There was a warning beep as the ship crawled over a massive, ice blue colored, glowing orb at the launch deck's center. The alien told everyone to hold onto his or her innards. Sora clamped his hand around his stomach in horror. Then the captain pressed a button and the view outside the ship's windows turned to green sparkly light. When the light went away, the ship was in a different room. This one was circular. Sora peeked through the sunroof and saw a chasm lined by walkways above. No banisters. Wakka gasped when he saw. Riku grinned. The alien stepped from his seat, told everyone his name was Gantu, and then told them all to get out.

"The gravity field in here has been removed, so be careful how high you jump. You might fly out of the ship's chimney," he sneered. As he turned for the ship exit he cackled. One by one the kids grabbed their bags and trundled down the ladder outside. When they reached metal ground, they found it hard to keep their feet attached. Everyone giggled as they floated through the air outside the ship. Gantu told them to jump to the first balcony and go through the circular door. One by one they did. The circular door opened and the kids floated through. Then the gravity field returned, and their feet fell hard on the metal ground. Gantu led them to a room with endless computer screens and swiveling chairs. Inside was another alien, this time much smaller, with another black jump suit. Hers reached mid thigh and had long sleeves and a long train extending to the floor from the base of her spine. Her feet were padded like Gantu's but looked more like antelope hoofs than elephant pads. She was three fingered as well, but hers were thinner. Her eyes were blue like Gantu's, but her coloring was green and her face was thin. When all the children had gathered before her, she held out her hands and welcomed them, introducing herself as "Grand Councilwoman." Beside her, relatively in shadow, was a man with tufty red hair that was longer at the top than around his ears. A long rat-tail tied by black elastic graced the crown of his neck. Immediately Sora gasped.

"You're the guy who interviewed me!" Sora squealed, making his companions jump in surprise. Ahead, the man with red hair narrowed his eyes and stepped forward.

"I remember you," he murmured. "Sora, right?"

Sora felt Riku's glare behind him, but smiled through it and beamed "yes." The man chuckled and introduced himself as Reno. Then he shook everyone's hands, winking as he got hold of Sora's and patting him on the back after he was finished.

"Sorry I couldn't stick around for your full interview, kiddo. I heard from Axel you were a riot," he apologized. Sora shrugged, chuffed. Then Reno addressed the crowd.

"If my eyes do not deceive me," he announced, "it looks like what we have here are a couple of heroes!"

Everyone cheered. Reno chuckled before continuing, "unfortunately or fortunately for all of us, whichever way you like to look at it, we're halfway through our expedition around the universe, so _that_ means we have a mere six days until we reach Olympus Coliseum!"

"Six _days_?" gasped Sora and his friends. Reno glanced at his watch. "Five days and eighteen hours, now. But yes! Almost six days!" Then he turned and fiddled at the set of computers on the left side of the control room as he added, "now let's organize payment."

He turned around with his index finger up. "I suggest you all get the Hero Program Debit Card Option. Then you can pay with virtual currency. And if you sign up with Shinra's Land of Departure special, there's no transaction fee for foreign currency!"

One by one everyone headed towards the computer table to pay for their tickets, starting with Selphie. As Riku, Kairi, Tidus, and Wakka all slipped their money from their shoes, Sora padded around his back pocket for his envelope. As his hands fell within empty folds of fabric, the color drained from his face. Frantically he searched his jacket pockets. Then his shoes. Then he pulled down his shirt zipper and hunted around his chest area. When Riku saw what he was doing he gasped and told Sora to put his clothes back on.

"Riku!" Sora croaked. "I can't find my money!"

"What?"

"I can't find the envelope with my money! I may have dropped it in Luca!"

"Fuck, Sora," Riku gasped, running his hands through his hair. As Wakka and Tidus stepped up to pay for their tickets, Kairi tottered over to Sora and Riku and asked what was wrong.

"This dumbass lost his money," Riku growled. Kairi asked if he remembered where he had had it last.

"Well," Sora blubbered, "I took my romper off while I was swimming. I had my cash in my pocket while we were knotting the ropes. And I had it running through Luca, I think…"

"So it could be anywhere," Riku finished. Sora stood close to tears. Kairi drew thoughtful beside him. Xehanort Junior was at the computer showing his ID and email copy to Reno, who skimmed through it and grumbled for him to go away. His efforts to escape payment seemed successful. Sora bit his lips and wondered what he would have to do to get a free ride on the ship. As Reno called Kairi forward, Sora tried asking Riku what he should do.

"They'll probably kick you off the ship," Riku responded without sympathy. Sora whined loudly, and Tidus was called up to the computer to pay as Kairi walked back.

"What if someone stole it, Riku?" Sora asked. "That's not my fault is it? Do they have insurance here?"

"You don't need insurance, Sora," Kairi chirped, slipping two golden cards from her pocket. "Because I bought you a ticket."

Sora looked on in confusion, while Riku's head threatened to explode, as he demanded Kairi repeat herself.

"I bought Sora a ticket with half of my princess pass money!" Kairi chirped.

"Are you saying," Riku seethed, "that you spent half of your dad's money on this loser?"

"Shit, Riku," Wakka cut in from nowhere, but Riku pushed him aside and advanced on Kairi in disbelief.

"Kairi, Sora's been doing this since he was four!" Riku snapped. "I've known him a lot longer than you! He always manages to get bailed out of his mess-ups by someone else! He's playing you!"

"Riku, I didn't ask her to buy it for me," Sora whispered in shock. But Riku held up his hand for Sora to be quiet, returning his hard gaze to a wilting Kairi.

"We all helped him get his money together," Riku started, "Wakka's dad saved him from having to build the raft and your dad payed him fifteen bucks an hour to carry manila folders and touch expensive things that didn't belong to him while I was sweating my ass off loading wooden crates of dead fish into ships with Wakka and his dad for seven!"

Xehanort II and Reno looked on the exchange in amusement while Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie wondered what exactly was going on.

"Riku," Kairi pleaded, "Sora is our friend and we need to support him!"

"Yeah, whatever," Riku dismissed, adding, "one day Sora will realize that fucking around causes big mistakes, and by that time maybe everyone will be tired enough of his antics to let him soak in his own shit instead of jumping in for him."

With that Riku hurried up and paid for his own ticket. Then, he pressed out the control room and disappeared through the hallway. Kairi, Sora, Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie stood together in awkward silence as Reno grinned behind them. By this time Xehanort had followed Riku out from the control room in an easy stride. Gantu sat with an open mouthed smile behind the smaller alien. Reno clapped his hands together and said a rousing "alright!"

"Now, while I chat with the Grand Councilwoman, Gantu will take you kiddos to your rooms!" he sang. While he turned to face the small alien, Gantu trundled towards the rest of the kids and herded them to a room down the hall with a glowing green, circular contraption at the center. Orange touch screens sat wired at its side, and there looked to be a massive glass, bottomless container above its metal legs. Gantu pointed to it with a savage swipe.

"That is the Durgon Transporter," he snapped. "Press your destination into the orange touch screen at its side, step within, and wait for the glass to come over you. Then you shall be beamed to the section of the ship where your lodgings are located."

When Sora asked Kairi what ticket she had bought him, she responded that she had gotten him a Pauper ticket so that he could room with Riku, and herself a Peasant ticket so that she could room with Selphie.

"I can get you a different ticket, if you like," she murmured. Sora said no, that he would be fine. So Kairi patted him on the back and stepped towards Gantu with her ticket. When she and Selphie tried getting into the transporter together, Gantu boomed, "ONE AT A TIME OR YOUR ATOMIC STRUCTURES WILL COMBINE AND SPLICE!"

Kairi and Selphie jumped out at the same time, too scared to go through at all. So Gantu threw them in one at a time and beamed them up himself. The glass lowered over their heads and sealed around their feet. Soft green light covered their forms. When it disappeared, they were gone and the glass rose for the next person. Tidus and Wakka went through next. Before Sora could enter, Gantu grabbed him by the shoulder and raised him through the air by the scruff of his romper. The alien narrowed his eyes as he glanced into Sora's.

"I saw how you bamboozled the female Homo sapiens sapling, fiend," he hissed, licking his grinning chops as he added with extended index finger, "and let me inform you, that had I discovered your lack of payment _before_ the female sapling provided you a ticket, I would have _personally_ ensured you spend the rest of your six day stay aboard this vessel in a _high security containment pod surrounded by lasers with no food to speak of for the extent of your stay!_ " Then he leaned close to Sora and cackled. "And I would have _beaten you_ ," he whispered in a throaty growl. "I would have experimented on your mind by sticking large syringes in your ears, and thrown hard rubber balls at your protrusive head during my copious amounts of free time! And-"

When Gantu stopped frothing to turn around, he noticed the Grand Councilwoman standing a short distance behind him with a flat expression.

"Copious free time?" she drawled. "Aren't you supposed to be piloting the ship, Gantu?"

"Yes, councilwoman," Gantu hurried, dropping Sora to the floor with a bow. When he stood he saluted. "I was just showing this vagrant the way to his cell, er, room…" With that, he pitched Sora facedown into the transporter and flung his gold debit card in with him. Then, he pressed the transport button and the glass descended. Before the green light could engulf Sora, he flailed for the golden card stuck under the rim of the transporter glass and clutched it close to his chest. As green light flooded around him and his vision blurred, he heard Gantu call,

"And if I find you without your ticket, I shall lock you in a cell for the remainder of your short Homo sapiens lifespan!"

When Sora gasped awake again, the gold card was still clutched to his chest. He lay in a new room. He must have fainted.

The glass surrounding him rose. He stumbled from the transporter and through the chamber as quickly as he could into a massive orange hall. At its side was a window a hundred times Sora's height. It looked out on the entire galaxy. As Sora watched the stars pass the ship by, he sniffled and wiped his face with shaking hands. His reflection stared defiantly back at him. He waved to himself. Then he walked through the massive blue doors ahead into a hall filled on either side by a grid of prison cells. A glass sliding door separated each from the other. To get up to them one had to take a sliding platform and jump from one to the next. Sora could see Riku fuming on the top row. A few inhabitants were scattered through others. When he read his own card and looked for the corresponding room, he noticed that he had been moved from Riku's side. He was on his own.

With a gulp Sora took the floating platform to his room and locked himself inside, slipping to the bed on the left and flinging his hands behind his head. As he stared at the cold metal ceiling, he scolded himself for making things go so wrong.


	8. Gantu versus the Crimson Flynn

That night Sora decided he would find a way of repaying Kairi for her ticket. The first chance he got was the following morning. Food was served through a little slot in the wall. So after a breakfast of Turo prison food, he took the metal platform from his lodging and sauntered through the orange hall towards the Durgeon Transporter. Once he beamed from the prison block transporter to the one near the control room, he began his journey through the halls, asking anyone he met along the way if they would pay him for help. His first victims were a pair of boys around sixteen or seventeen. One had blond, flipped up hair and a massive black tattoo down the side of his face. The other had his hair tied in a ponytail under a black cowboy hat with circular metal charms around the band. When Sora asked if they had any paying jobs for him to do, they laughed and told him to follow them to the launch deck. One by one the trio made their way out from the control room hallway to the ship hub. Once they reached the tall circular chamber they hopped down one railing-less balcony at a time until they reached the exit to the launch deck. There Sora was again, in the chamber with the purple and pink shipment boxes, the lasers, the screen with the x on it, and this time, several ferry vessels with open trunks.

When the trio headed for the alien attendant near the control desk and asked if he needed any help, he smiled and told them to come and join the crew. There already appeared to be four other kids pushing crates together towards the ferry ships' open trunks. When they filled the ships up, they gave the go ahead and an alien worker would shut the trunk closed. Then, the ship would travel from the launch pad to the ship exterior and the blue metal door blocking the launch deck from the ship exterior would close. Sora looked on the process in fascination. When he was given the chance to push some crates himself, he took it gladly. As his limbs tendered he boosted his morale accordingly. By the end of the day, he was physically wrecked but mentally swell. The boys he had entered with were the same. When they finished up their day, they pulled out papers from their pockets and had the alien attendant give them signatures. Their names were printed on top of the sheets. Zell and Irvine. When the alien asked Sora if he needed a signature, the boy nodded and walked forward aimlessly. He was given a piece of paper and told to write down all his information. Irvine and Zell helped him. Then, the alien notarized it, and the three were done.

"What do we do next?" Sora asked. When Irvine gave a sly grin, Zell rolled his eyes.

"Don't tell me you're thinking what I think you're thinking," Zell said.

"I'm thinking what you think I'm thinking," Irvine responded, and Zell groaned. Then they asked Sora if he had been on the racetrack.

"The what?" Sora asked. Irvine and Zell grinned wide.

"The race track," Zell explained, "is on the exterior of the ship. You ride around in a circle and crash into people like bumper cars. It's a recreational thing for the employees. You put some coins in the mini spaceship to enter. If you bump your opponents hard enough, you pick up their cash."

"How much is it?" asked Sora. Zell shrugged and said, "About five hundred gill."

Sora didn't know how much the gill was to the dollar, but instead of finding out, he followed Zell and Irvine through a tiny door at the edge of the launch deck into some sort of break area filled with space suits. Each put one on and filed to a door on the other end of the room with a coin slash card slot at its side. Zell and Irvine took gold cards exactly like Sora's from their pockets and inserted them. Then, when they were through, Sora tried inserting his. The card beeped clear, and the door opened. When he walked through, he gasped.

Ahead of him was a circular, orange track with five poles. On each pole was a magnetic string that caught flying space shuttles and twirled them around like tops before they flung onto the racetrack again. And straight above it all, was the endless universe. Somehow the course had simulated gravity. Sora suspected there was some sort of force field around it. Sora peeked his head inside the track to get another look. When he blinked, a shuttle flung by. Sora barked and fell backwards. The shuttle ahead crashed into another and coins burst from within, floating towards and into the offensive shuttle's bow. Sora screeched in delight as the gold filtered in. The area closest to him and his new friends had four fresh space shuttles. Zell and Irvine grabbed theirs first. Then they used the magnetic rope to fling themselves onto the course. Sora was next. Without bothering to get the hang of the controls, he burst out onto the course and immediately rammed headfirst into another shuttle's backside. Gold came from within and filtered into his ship. Before he could cry in delight, another ship bashed into him. All of his gold disappeared. "No!" Sora howled. Another ship bashed into him. His gold count went negative. A timer went up on the side of his vessel and he bit his lip. This was high risk gambling.

"Well, I gotta make this dough back up somehow!" he barked. After several short catastrophes, he began swerving into and away from other vessels with ease. His concentration rose tenfold. When another player took his cash again, he set his sites on the big dog. The ship that had collected as much money as it could hold.

It was making its way towards port. There must have been a limit on how much you could collect. If Sora took a hold of that vessel's gold, he would be done. But swarms of vessels surrounded it. With bitten lip Sora flung himself towards the exit as slowly as he could. The ship with the dough was so busy checking behind that it didn't notice him. At the last moment Sora swerved around the side, bashed two ships in the side, cruised by a third, and finally pinged the big dog shuttle in the nose before flinging straight into one of the race course exits as his shuttle gave a victorious "beep." When he got out, Irvine and Zell stopped to congratulate him. Sora collected his shuttle earnings with a howl of delight. He had made ten thousand gill. He had no idea how much that was worth. But it was more than the five hundred he had put in. When he returned to the break room he tried locating the computer where he could load his winnings onto his golden card. Instead of finding the computer, though, he found Gantu.

The enormous alien walked into the break room just as Sora stepped towards what he thought was the card slot system. The giant had a sly grin.

"What are you doing in here, earthling?" he said. When he spied Sora's coin stack he let out a round of "ho ho ho's."

"You've been playing on the race course!" he gasped with glee. Sora's heart sank. He got the feeling he wasn't supposed to do that. As he tried finding an excuse, Gantu bent close to his face and ground his massive, whale like teeth.

"The race track is illegal for non employees or persons under the age of sixteen. That means you've just broken two intergalactic laws," he hissed. "Normally that would amount to a night in the brig, but," he added with an evil grin, "I'll just take your winnings and call it clear."

"But I spent five hundred gill on that machine!" Sora barked. Gantu's mouth formed an 'o.'

"Then I suppose you should start working on getting that money back before you card in for bed tonight!" he announced. "Your bedroom door won't open if you are below on your balance!"

With a cackle Gantu swiped Sora's ten thousand gill and stormed out the break room door, leaving the fourteen-year-old gob struck at the room's center. He stood there for ten minutes until Zell and Irvine burst in behind him laughing and bumping fists.

"Hey, Sora, wicked racing out there," Zell said as he patted Sora on the back. When he saw the boy's expression he furrowed his brows and asked what was wrong.

"Gantu took my money," Sora blubbered. Irvine snorted behind.

"Who's Gantu?" he asked. Zell responded, "Yo, remember that big blue guy?"

"Yeah," Irvine responded. Then he gasped. "The one with the blaster who put us in our cells!"

"Yeah!" Zell burst out.

"He says I can't get into my room unless I make five hundred gill," Sora sighed. Zell and Irvine scratched their heads. Then they grinned. "You can sleep in our cell if you want," they said. "There's no bed, the toilet is a hatch, and there's an inmate who curses at us and rubs his naked butt down the glass across the hall, but other than that it's pretty nice!"

Sora said he thought he would pass for the night. When he thought about it, he was sure that Gantu would be waiting to arrest him when he couldn't get into his room. But Gantu would arrest him if he stayed _away_ from his room as well. Probably for wandering the halls or something.

Sora parted ways from his new friends with curled fists. Then he walked the ship's halls alone, taking the transporter back to the control room and asking if anyone needed paid help. By the time he got to the second person in the control room, they threatened to have him apprehended if he continued pestering. He decided to try a different room. All he located was another employee break room. In it was a bunch of aliens knitting. At the end of the circle was a break table. Seated at its side was Reno. He was fiddling with some sort of electronic tablet. He had earplugs in and sunglasses on, too, for some reason. When Sora went up and asked him if he had any paying jobs he needed done, the man awoke and looked up at Sora as if he were crazy.

"Sora, you're not supposed to be down here," Reno warned. Sora shrugged and said he needed five hundred gill or he would be arrested. Though Reno's face remained taken by wonderment, he asked Sora why he needed it.

"I went on the race track," he muttered. Reno rubbed his palm against his brow with a chuckle. Then he asked Sora if he got any money. Sora nodded and said he got ten thousand gill. Reno gasped and asked what the hell he did with it.

"Gantu took it," Sora muttered. "In place of arresting me for breaking intergalactic laws."

"Ha," Reno responded, adding, "what laws?" Sora returned, "the law that says no non employees or kids under sixteen."

"Technically the age is different per species," the red head replied. Then he shrugged. "But, hey ho. You need to get back in your room?"

Sora nodded and said he would be arrested if he weren't let in.

"So if you need anything done, I'm your man," he added with a grin. Reno chuckled and told him to come for a walk with him. Sora nodded in vigorous reply. With that, the two men sauntered together towards the guest rec hall.

"So how was your second day aboard, Sora?" Reno asked as they slipped through another massive metal hall. Sora sighed. "That big whale is after me non stop," he growled, making Reno snort with laughter.

"Sora, be careful," the red head added. He pointed to a moving camera attached to the ceiling. "He's probably watching you right now. Say hello."

As Reno waved to the security camera, the color left Sora's face. With a gulp he scrambled to Reno's side and stayed there in silence until the man spoke again.

"So what happened with you and your friend?" the man asked.

"Riku?" Sora responded.

"Kid with silver hair."

"Oh, he's mad at me or something."

"He seems jealous."

Sora blinked up at Reno in surprise. The man responded with a cool glance and raised brows before looking forward again. "He's jealous that he has to work harder for the same things. Thinks things fall into your lap."

"But they don't!" Sora snapped.

"But they do!" Reno interjected. "And it'll be interesting to figure out why that is once you get into the training program. If anything, it seems like it should be the other way around…"

Sora looked up at Reno in confusion. But the man was unreadable. They kept walking. Now they were near the mess hall. Reno glanced around and slipped a card from his pocket. Then he led Sora towards a card slot in the opposite wall and held his hand out. Sora instinctively fived it. In return Reno laughed out loud and asked him for his golden card. Sora acquiesced, and Reno slipped his own card into the wall slot before taking it out and putting Sora's in its place. When the slot beeped, Reno patted Sora on the back and winked.

"I just put two thousand gill on your account," he said. Sora's mouth dropped open. The boy asked what he had done for it.

"You took a walk with me," Reno responded. "You have an employment page I can fill out?"

Sora gasped, and to Reno's surprise took out the paper the alien attendant had given him for shipping the boxes in the launch deck. Reno grinned as he looked over it. When he signed, he listed in the job description section, "daily exercise company." Then he gave the paper back to Sora and left him alone. The boy went for dinner in awe. When that was over, he returned to Turo's empty prison block. Standing in the orange hallway before it was Gantu.

"Greetings, sapling!" the alien announced. He nearly pranced on his elephant padded feet as Sora led him down the hall. When they reached the prison block and Sora sought out his room, Gantu barked, "wouldn't it be a shame if you failed to enter!" Sora rode with him up the floating metal platform to his cell. The transportation was much slower because of Gantu's weight. But eventually they reached the door, and Sora slipped in his golden card. There was a loud beep, and the glass door opened. Then, the golden card popped out of the slot and Sora went inside. Gantu was too stunned to respond. Sora waved to him as he shut down his glass door and locked himself in. Then he pretended to go to sleep while Gantu fumed outside.


	9. Inmate of the Year

Days three and four on the ship passed precariously. Sora continued working on the launch deck, in the ship hub, and on machinery bay access with Irvine, Zell, and ten other kids. Turned out most of the hero hopefuls on the ship had only paid a portion of their ticket. According to Intergalactic Guidelines, if any of them failed to pay for their ticket by the end of the trip to Olympus they would be incarcerated in Turo Prison Block to serve a sentence for theft. Amongst the kids were a couple named Nao and Sota. They were gyarus with fake tans and bleach blond hair. Then there were unfailing pranksters Zell and Irvine, riding by on Pirate tickets. They slept side by side with Turo's worst inmates and did prison work each day mirroring a real prison sentence. Riding on Pauper tickets was a girl named Rose with long white hair that swept over her eyes and a boy who called himself Beat. He sported a black beanie and had the best upper strength of the party save for Zell. Sota was a wicked fast learner. Irvine had a knack with machinery. Rose was handy with electrical stuff. Nao worked details. Sora found himself fumbling amongst all of them until day four, when another quartet was added to the mix. Hayner, Olette, Pence, and Rai. They were almost as useless as Sora for the first half of their shift.

The worst part of all was that Sora hardly saw Riku or Kairi at all. On day four, after he got his payment paperwork scanned for his first three days of work, he managed to eat lunch with her. As they sat against the massive window looking out from the orange hall beside Turo Prison Block, Kairi complained that she thought Riku was avoiding her.

"I think he's been hanging out with that Nimoy guy too much," she explained. "He calls him Nimo for short. Apparently Nimo calls him Rick."

"That sucks!" Sora announced. Kairi agreed, continuing, "I just can't wait till we get to Olympus." Sora nodded. Then he told her about all of the kids who had to work on the ship to pay for the remainder of their tickets.

"There's Zell and Irvine and Sota and Nao, then there's Rose and Beat and these new kids, Rai, Olette, Hayner, and Pence. They're all pretty cool except for Rai. He's kinda loud." As he thought of the numerous tricks Zell and Irvine played on Rai and Hayner, he laughed. As Kairi watched Sora reminisce she took a thoughtful bite of her sandwich and said she was glad he was making friends. Sora shrugged and said he needed to repay her for paying for his trip. She responded with exasperation.

"Oh, Sora," she sighed, "I would have done the same for anyone! I still could, if I wanted to! I have enough money for one more ticket, and even after that I'll have one drachma left. And that's not even spending money, that's just bedding!" she cried. Then she stood in a huff of emotion. "Why is everyone always so worried about me? I can look after myself just fine!" Then she stormed off to the transporter and left Sora alone in the hall. For a moment he sat in shock. Then he gathered his things to leave and trudged into the transport room. As he entered, the transporter fizzled ominously under the weight of large cargo. Gantu.

Before the whale could catch him eating in the hall, Sora stuffed the rest of his sandwich in his mouth, slipped the wrapper in his pants, and flew for his prison block cell. When he rode up the metal platform and through the glass door shielding his bed from the outside world he pretended to be asleep. Behind him drew the whine of moving metal. Then, after a long ascent, Gantu's whale like shadow splayed against Sora's back wall. The alien peered at him through the glass. Then, he disappeared. Sora decided to play it safe and wait an hour before returning outside. But one hour hiding turned into a three hour snooze pretty fast.

That was the second worst thing. Not the napping, of course. But Gantu. Gantu would not leave Sora alone. Ever since Reno gave Sora money to get into his room, Gantu had been waiting incessantly to render Sora his inmate of the year. If the alien could have had him shot like a cannonball from one of the ship's lasers into deep space, he would have pressed the button himself. But somehow Sora always slipped out of his grasp.

On the fifth and final day aboard the Galactic Federation Vessel, Gantu made a personal visit to every work force on the ship until he located the area Sora was operating under. Once the rest of the kids noticed him eyeing Sora in particular, they took care to conceal and correct every mistake he managed to make. Kairi had wandered down to see Sora's new pals, and whenever Gantu sniffed onto something fishy, she distracted him with inane questions like, "why is there no gravity in space?" As he explained, the group worked. By the end of the day everyone, including Gantu, was exhausted. When the bell rang for dinner, they charged to get a spot in line in the rec hall, leaving Sora behind to clean up before he left. When he tried to stand, a large blue, three-fingered hand fell on his shoulder, and Gantu pulled him up to face him. There was something desperate in his eyes. As Sora blinked at him, he demanded to see the boy's golden card.

"What?" Sora barked.

"I want to authenticate the funds held within," snapped Gantu. When Sora struggled against him, he pulled his laser gun out and pointed it at the boy's head.

"Attempt to disarm me again, Homo sapiens scum, and I will have you incarcerated in a maximum security containment pod!"

"What do you want from me?" roared Sora.

"Give me that golden card!" Gantu thundered in return. With a huff Sora reached in his pocket and pulled out his golden card. Once Gantu got it in his hands, he dragged Sora to the control panel at the launch deck's center and starting typing on the keypad. When he had pulled up Sora's gold card information, he cackled and pointed to the credit balance with glee.

"You little sapling _thief_!" he hissed. Sora had over two hundred extra dollars added to his one thousand forty dollar Pauper ticket. When Gantu demanded to know where he got it from, Sora flipped his payment paperwork out of his pocket. Gantu snatched the packet from Sora's arms and flipped through it page by page, snorting in derision as he examined each paid job.

"Evening exercise company with Reno?" Gantu barked. "Two thousand gill? Is this a joke?"

"He wanted company!" Sora responded with gusto. In anger Gantu ripped the packet to pieces and blasted it to ashes with his laser. Then he laughed.

"Ha! Where is your proof of work, now?" he boomed.

"It's scanned into the computer!" Sora responded. "An employee scanned it and sent it off this morning." Gantu shook with laughter. Then he dashed to the computer to see if it was true. When he pulled up the copy of the packet and but failed to erase it from the computer's database, he snarled and slammed his fists against the keyboard. There was a beep, and the 'X' normally lining the screen's front turned to a green check mark. Slowly, the gravity within the chamber thinned, and Sora floated through the air. As Gantu looked around him his eyes twinkled. He pressed another button so that the metal door separating the launch deck from the ship exterior began to shut. He gripped Sora's golden ticket tightly in his three-fingered hand. Then he stomped towards the closing door, ignoring Sora's howls of protest as the boy swam towards him. Before Sora could make it, Gantu flung his golden ticket outside the door and onto the ship exterior. Then, as the metal door closed completely, he returned to the computer, reactivated the gravitational field, and opened the force field at the launch deck's extreme end. Sora's golden card catapulted into deep space and crunched into a pellet under intense pressure. As Sora watched it disappear from a small window in the metal door's side, he gasped. Then, as gravity returned completely, he fell to the ground. Before he could escape Gantu picked him up by the scruff of his jacket and held him close. Then the alien narrowed his eyes and grinned.

"Do I see a stowaway without a ticket?" he announced.

"No!" Sora responded. "I have papers to prove I'm employed here!"

"Well you've only made two hundred dollars in four days, Sora," Gantu responded. "Where's the rest of your ticket?"

"It's out the freaking window!" Sora replied, and Gantu cackled that he could prove nothing.

"I am god on this ship!" the alien boomed. Then he threw Sora to the ground and clapped his blue hands together. "Tomorrow you will blubber to the Grand Councilwoman that you do not have a ticket! You will be incarcerated on this ship. And then, you shall be mine!" With a departing roar of laughter, Gantu jumped over crates and returned to the control room. Sora was left, alone and confused, in the empty launch deck. For the second time in five days, he had lost over a thousand dollars. After pondering what he would do next, and ruling out Kairi's help, he looked for his next best option. Reno. But the man was nowhere to be found. Lunch ended and Sora returned to work, asking anyone if they had a job paying one hundred thousand gill. Everyone laughed at him. When he returned to work on the launch deck, Gantu's voice came over the speakers announcing that he would be recording a playlist of his favorite songs over the radio system. Everyone groaned as the first tune sailed through the air. At the end of the night Sora searched for Reno again. Again, the man was nowhere.

Gantu was waiting for Sora when he returned to Turo Prison Block. He said that walking after hours without a card warranted arrest unless he was traveling to a night shift. In defeat Sora let Gantu escort him to the machinery bay access where Zell and Irvine were feverishly working off the rest of their tickets. When they saw Sora they saluted him. Then, the three worked like dogs under Gantu's command for the remainder of the night.


	10. The Final Showdown

At twelve pm the next day, the Galactic Federation's massive vessel stopped over the sands of Olympus Coliseum. As every child waiting to embark on their hero-training program looked out the window, they noticed fluffy white clouds, statues of gladiators, and twinkling blue beaches in the atmosphere below. It seemed like paradise except for the planet's green, misty underside. While everyone else enjoyed the view, Sora slept in the launch deck break room with Zell and Irvine. Just when he was slipping into a delightful dream about whacking Gantu with a massive golden ticket, a voice came over the break room speaker calling every member of the hero-training program to the control room. One by one Sora and his two companions stretched and trundled out. They met with hordes of other kids between the ages of twelve and seventeen along the way. Scratch that. One looked nine. A little fluffy headed blond girl with a puffy blue dress and black Mary Janes. The group couldn't all fit in the control room, so they piled around the hallway outside as Reno stood on a chair and called their names one by one. He seemed to be going by age. After each shouted "here," and brandished their tickets a staff member took them to the ship hub. Twenty descended to Olympus at a time. When the final group was called forward, they piled into the control room together. Gantu was there, too, no doubt waiting to snatch Sora up and throw him in jail. When Sora peeked around, he saw Riku whispering to Xehanort Nimoy and laughing. By now they seemed like old chums. It made his stomach flip.

"Sora?" Reno called. Before Sora could call "present," Gantu announced that he had not displayed his golden ticket.

"I believe he needs a golden ticket to enter Olympus!" the massive alien continued with glee. Reno furrowed his brows and asked Sora where his card was. Again, Gantu, who thundered, "lost in deep space" with a little too much gusto, thwarted Sora's response. As the Grand Councilwoman looked at her captain in surprise, Reno rubbed his forehead with an exasperated sigh.

"Can someone explain what is going on?" he asked.

"I will incinerate hi, er, incarcerate him," Gantu interjected in response, lunging for Sora with stubby blue hands. But before Gantu could get him, the Grand Councilwoman stopped him and said he would do no such thing without her permission. When she asked Gantu to explain his inattention, Kairi charged forward and said she would pay for another ticket for Sora.

"Shit, NO, this is ridiculous!" Reno barked from behind, charging to the circle's forefront to push Kairi back. When he did, he asked the councilwoman if she had any extra tickets left. When she responded that she had delivered the tickets to Gantu for safekeeping, he responded that the applicants were so many that the tickets ran out.

"We gave you one hundred tickets for eighty entrants," Reno returned, "and you ran out?"

"Mr. Flynn, are you implying my captain is a liar?" the Councilwoman hissed in Gantu's place.

"No," Reno assuaged, "I'm telling you that he's incompetent."

Gantu gasped in horror. The Grand Councilwoman swung her coattail back from her extended hoof, as if readying to strike. Reno rolled his eyes and took out his tablet list of verified ticket holders to show to her.

"This is a receipt for every child we received payment from. See? Under Sora…" he trailed off. He squinted as he looked for Sora's name. All he found were two tickets listed under Kairi Panetierre.

"See!" Gantu cried in triumph. "No proof that this boy bought a ticket at all!"

"Yes there is!" protested Kairi. "I bought one for him before and I'll buy one again!" When Gantu tried to have her escorted to the next ship for Olympus Coliseum, the Grand Councilwoman stopped him again.

"Gantu, what has gotten into you?" she demanded. Gantu was lost for words. All he could do was point at Sora and hiss vaguely.

"That scum-" he began. But the Councilwoman stopped him again.

"Gantu! The hatred you harbor for this Homo sapiens boy is unnatural and embarrassing! You are hereby demoted to patrol!"

"But Councilwoman!" Gantu squeaked. The Grand Councilwoman rose to her full height and pointed her skinny index finger at Gantu's head.

"You shall address me as Grand Councilwoman at all times! You are dismissed!"

"But-"

"I SAID YOU ARE DISMISSED!" she boomed. In defeat Gantu left the room. Then, the Councilwoman turned to Reno and folded her hands over her lap.

"I am greatly sorry for that embarrassing performance," she apologized. "The Galactic Federation shall absorb the costs of Sora's new ticket."

"That won't be necessary," Reno responded. "Kairi bought two tickets, so it's her choice who gets them."

"Sora and I!" Kairi shrieked.

"Yes, I know," Reno returned in irritation. With a sigh he handed things over to the Grand Councilwoman again, who asked the remaining students if they had managed to collect enough wages to complete their ticket payments. Neither Rai, Pence, Hayner, Sota, Rose, Zell nor Irvine, succeeded. When their names were called, Kairi wrenched her hand through the air and said she would pay for a portion of their tickets. The Grand Councilwoman nodded.

"After Kairi donates a ticket, the Galactic Federation shall take whatever the remaining students can pay and absorb the cost of the remainder in apology for its and its captain's embarrassing behavior," she announced. Then she bowed, and she, Reno, and Kairi arranged payments while the rest of the children where herded onto the last ship. They were told over speaker to sit tight until Reno returned. When he did, he patted Sora's shoulder and slipped him a second gold card. As Sora glanced up at him in awe, he winked.

"I won't be around to save your ass much longer, Sora," he warned. "Take care of this one."

"Did you get the one from outside the ship?" Sora asked. Reno snorted in confusion.

"No. Gantu had an extra one he "forgot about," apparently," he muttered. Sora grinned as he smoothed his fingers over the painted gold plastic. When he tried to thank Reno, the man had already left for the cockpit. A new, smaller alien was piloting with him. As she called across the line for everyone to fasten his or her seatbelts, the ship beamed to the launch deck. Then, the hatch opened, the ship turned on, and the last flight to Olympus blasted through the atmosphere amongst a crowd of cheers.


	11. The Mark of a Hero

It was near sundown when they reached the Coliseum. The space ship landed right at the base of Mount Olympus in an abandoned part of town near Thebes. After everyone gathered outside, Reno stood on the stone steps emptying out from the path to the mountain and grabbed a megaphone in his hand. Then, after readjusting the volume and getting everyone's attention, he divided everyone into their ticket types: Princess, Plebeian, Peasant, Pauper, and Pirate. When Sora was called to the Pauper group, he walked over with a smile and his hands crossed over the back of his head. There was the crew he had worked with on the ship journey: Rose, Olette, Rai, Pence, Sota, Nao, Hayner, and Beat. Then there were Wakka and Riku. As Sora glanced around at the entirety of the summer program's eighty applicants, he grinned. Most of the faces he recognized from lunch in the mess hall. Others, like a winged boy with a massive blade and hood and a girl in red boots and a black leather miniskirt, were strange to him. When Sora looked past them both, his brows furrowed.

Five figures in black pantsuits approached from the road ahead. When they reached Reno's side, they whispered in his ear. Then, wordlessly, they began sorting through the eighty applicants. When Sora was herded into his own group of twenty, a woman with auburn hair and brown eyes directed them towards the Northern edge of Thebes and pointed to the sea.

"That is where the Pauper lodgings are," she explained. "Your hostel is a seaside shack arrangement along the shore of the Aegean Sea. Salt and sand get in everything, so take care of any electronics you bring with you and make sure you don't mind your clothes being starched and bleached by the sodium chloride!" Then the woman talked about the suggested route from the shacks to Olympus Coliseum, which was perched precariously atop the peak of Mount Olympus, a dormant volcano near the coast.

"You will be coming to Olympus from _behind_ the volcano, while everyone else will be coming to Olympus from _ahead_ or _astride_ the volcano."

"Where are the princesses staying?" asked Hayner. Pence and Olette stifled snickers beside him. Their guide narrowed her eyes, but smiled and responded, "they are staying in a seaside resort South of Mount Olympus.

"So beside us?" Pence asked.

"No," responded the guide. "You are on the Northeast, they are not. Anyway," she added with another clap, "there are a lot of great choices for food, and thanks to you guys' golden cards, you get to eat at a number of pre approved restaurants free! You also get continental breakfast and free lunch at the coliseum!" she added. Then she signaled for the students to start walking. Everyone naturally formed friend groups save for a few people who didn't know anyone. Sora flew to Wakka and Riku. When he reached them he tried swiping his arms over their shoulders. Both ducked easily. Wakka chuckled. But Riku shot Sora an uncharacteristically cold glare. He glanced around to see if anyone else saw the exchange, eyes training particularly on the hooded boy Sora spotted earlier. The one with the blade and single wing. Thankfully Xehanort Nimoy was not around.

Ahead, the guide pointed out places she liked eating at. After an hour and a half walk, the party finally reached the seaside shacks. The guide turned to face the party once more.

"Okay, so there's usually six to a shack tops, but since there are nineteen of you we had to add one group of seven," she apologized. Then she called out who was in what group. There was one group of girls and two groups of boys. Sora's was the group of seven. It was he, Sota, Hayner, Pence, a boy named Roxas, Wakka, and Riku. As the guide said goodbye and returned for the road to Thebes, Sora's group introduced itself and checked in at the hostel "lobby," which was really just a thatch roof kiosk a couple doors down from the shack line up. After everyone got their golden tickets stamped, they trailed to their shack, passing more thatch roof deals with white washed sides and thinning blue paint on the way. Sora's group's lodging had holes in the walls and seemed to be sagging. When the boys filtered inside, their mouths dropped.

The floors were hard packed clay. The walls were filthy grey. There were cobwebs in every crevice. Sun shone through the spotty thatch. There was a single, albeit massive, straw mattress at the room's center. There were no pillows or blankets. The straw stank of mildew. The mattress cover was stained and moth eaten. There was a bucket, a backwasher, six threadbare towels, and a metal tub hanging on one of the walls. On the other wall was a picture of the pantheon of Greek gods. By the door was a bar of soap, a roll of toilet paper, a fading Greek magazine, and directions to the nearest toilet, which was a patch of woods close to the water.

"Well!" Wakka said with an upbeat skip, "let's unpack!"

It turned out there was a small grouping of shelves hidden at the back corner of the shack. The boys set their bags on top of it. Most decided not to take their clothes out for fear they would get ruined. Wakka did not care: his had become so bleached from working with his father on his long liner that they were practically stark white. When everyone had situated their belongings and finished padding around the room to see if they'd missed any treasures from their first search, they decided to pat down the mattress. That was a bad idea. Immediately a family of six cockroaches scuttled from beneath with a healthy dose of dust, mold spores, and dead flies on their backs.

"Fucking hell," muttered Hayner in revulsion.

As the roach family returned to the safety of the upturned mattress's inner folds, Sota took the initiative and announced that they needed to clean their lodgings.

"I don't want to sleep on a cloud of maggots tonight," he said. "But this bed is all we have, and there's not enough floor space without it unless we stack on top of each other around it."

"But then the bugs might come out and sleep on us, too!" Pence chimed in. "They will of course be inspired to investigate their new visitors."

"Unless we want to contract some sort of disease on our first night here, I suggest we wash the sheets and clear out the old straw, get some more wherever we can find it. All we need is some sort of plant fiber. We could even buy a real mattress and a plastic zipper to protect it from the bugs and salt."

Everyone scratched their heads and grumbled until Sora offered a bit of his extra money to pay for a new one. Sota said that he would donate, too. With a clap, Hayner stepped forward to delegate.

"The ones with the money can get the mattress cover. The rest of us will find free straw, or feathers, or something to stuff the thing with until we have enough cash to break out on a real mattress. How about it?"

Everyone nodded. The third and fourth intrinsic leaders, Riku and Wakka, split everyone up. Sora naturally would accompany Sota to town to get a mattress cover. The rest would hunt for straw or feathers. Everyone agreed to meet at the shack at ten for dinner. Then with a nod they parted ways.

It took an hour for Sora, Sota, and Riku to leg it to Thebes. When they reached the city center it was swarming. After attempting to search for a mattress together, Sota and Riku decided to split up and meet at the statue of Oedipus and Eteocles at Thebe's Center in an hour. Before Sora could protest, he was standing beside Oedipus's clubfoot alone, wondering what to do next.

He searched stall after stall for what felt like years until he crossed a second hand furniture shop. What was supposed to be a plastic, zip-able couch cover looked like it would work for their mattress. When Sora asked how much it was, the vendor told him it was one drachma.

"Oh great!" Sora chirped with glee. Then he remembered how much a drachma was worth.

"Wait, ONE DRACHMA?" he bellowed, his mouth opening and flapping through the wind in shock. The vendor threw up his nose and announced that the cover was perfect.

"It's got a hole in the side!" Sora barked, holding his hand through the hole for the man to see. When the man demanded to know why Sora had broken his mattress cover, Sora blubbered uselessly, barking that the cover had been like that from the moment he picked it up.

"Can you prove that?" the salesman snapped. Sora faltered. He was lost for words. As the salesman sucked in a deep breathe to call the police, a massive golden hand fell against Sora's shoulder. When Sora looked up, an incredibly orange, incredibly muscular man gleamed down upon him like a glittering sunbeam.

"You having trouble here, kid?" the man asked. When Sora blocked out the light from the sun behind to get a good look at him, he noticed the demigod's startling blue eyes, peach pink cheeks, chiseled bone structure, and thick grinning lips. There was a dimple in his chin and burnt orange curls extending from his majestic scalp. When Sora looked further down, a form bursting from the confines of the armor it wore greeted him. The man's arms were the size of comets. His hands were large and firm. His pecks sliced up when he gesticulated. And… he had a sword and shield strapped right on his back.

Sora's mouth dropped further. This man. This man was a hero.

"You're a hero, aren't you?" Sora gasped. In return the man laughed bashfully.

"Naw," he gushed, "I am perfectly mortal. Wait, did you ask if I was a god?"

"No," Sora responded with a big smile. "But I wouldn't be surprised if you were!"

"Aw well, gee, you sure know how to make a big lug feel good, uh, what's your name?" the man asked. Sora grinned and introduced himself. After he shook the man's hand and found out his name was Hercules, Sora asked if he was doing the hero training program at the coliseum. Hercules boomed laughter and asked what Sora was doing around town.

"Buying a mattress cover," Sora responded.

"Well, gee, my trainer Phil has an old mattress cover he's trying to get rid of!" Hercules gasped. "He just upgraded from a queen to a king size!"

"Will he want money for it?" Sora asked. Hercules shook his head. "I'll make sure you get it free." He winked. Then his face brightened. "Say, maybe we could all go out for a bite to eat later on! You'll probably be training with him tomorrow anyway. No harm in meeting him early!"

"I would love that!" Sora gasped, not believing his luck.

"Are you meeting anyone here?" Hercules asked. Sora nodded and pointed to the statue of Eteocles and Oedipus. "We're meeting at that statue," he relayed. After nodding, Hercules walked him over and set Sora on his shoulders so he could get his friends' attention. Soon, Sota and Riku were running towards him empty handed. As Riku examined Hercules with hidden awe, Sota eyed him up and down suspiciously.

"Uh, Sora?" he asked. "How do you know this guy?"

"I met him at a pawnshop!" Sora responded. "His name is Hercules! He's a hero at the coliseum!"

"Well, I'm not a hero yet, Sora," Hercules chuckled. "I'm still in school! But I'm getting there." Then he asked again if Sora and his pals wanted to meet his trainer Phil. Though Sora relayed the full story of how they had met and who Hercules was, Sota still seemed unconvinced. When he looked towards Riku for help, Riku shrugged and said that they could do whatever they wanted. Sota bit his lip.

"We said we would meet the other guys for dinner at ten," he muttered. Hercules' shoulders fell, but he shrugged.

"That's aye okay, fellas! Maybe next time!" he added with a wave. Then he asked Sora if he still wanted the cover for free. Sora glanced towards Sota and Riku hopefully. Both grimaced at each other. Then, after a sigh, Sota told Hercules to lead the way.

The three boys set off after the demigod towards Mount Olympus with Sota watching their every step. Sora thought his behavior was ridiculous. It was like he expected a carriage full of bandits to jump on their fork in the road and get in a sword fight with the three of them at any minute. As their path steepened Sota and Riku began to pant. Sora wheezed. Hercules chatted the whole way, completely unperturbed. By the time Sota and Riku hit their stride, Sora had long hit decline. When he failed to walk fast enough Hercules offered to carry him. Sora declined, suffering in silence until the gates of the coliseum shone ahead like beacons in the twilight.

The group of four mounted the stone steps to the Coliseum in awe. Two massive double doors thundered open ahead into the arena's walled, open-air lobby. Its ground was unpaved, packed yellow sand. The walls on either side of the lobby's entrance doors were lined with torches and posters of seeds from different tournament cups. Sora read through them giddily as he passed. There was a Phil, Pegasus, Hercules, and a Hades Cup. Sora's eyes twinkled as he imagined what each was like. When he peered closer at the names, he pursed his lips. The crown winner for the Phil Cup was a boy named Terra. A pair named Squall and Yuffie had bested the Pegasus Cup, and Hercules bested the Hercules Cup. A man named Sephiroth had won the platinum match for the Hades Cup. Sora wondered who all of the people were, and if he would meet them in the coming weeks.

When Sora snapped out of his reverie he realized Hercules was calling him. The man stood on the other end of the lobby between the sparring figures of two massive, golden statues of Spartan warriors. Sota and Riku wandered behind him.

Sora scrambled beneath the arch of the carven warriors and through the entrance to a narrow vestibule lit by burning lanterns and piles of coal in massive gilded bowls. The end of the vestibule was lined with shelves filled with tournament trophies of varying colors and sizes and a massive stone pedestal seating a treasure chest. At the end of the vestibule drew the darkened entrance to another, narrower passageway. A rope and sign reading "no tournaments at this time" barred its way. There seemed to be a disturbance rattling within. When Sora attempted crossing over the threshold to see what it was, a sharp voice emanated from the darkness within, telling him not to move a muscle. When Sora peered closer, he yelped.

Ahead of him drew a short man with a fuzzy big belly, red caterpillar eyebrows, and an angry grimace. The thing that _really_ set him apart, though, was the set of goat legs below his belly button and the horns above his floppy ears. When he spotted Hercules, he hopped over the rope and sign and held out his arms for a hug. The pair embraced. When Hercules asked the goat man what was wrong, he groaned and rubbed his hands over his face.

"I can't for Pandora's pithos remember where I put my new pan pipes," he complained. Then he looked behind Hercules with a frown. "Herc, who are these bozos?"

"Phil," Herc beamed. "These are your new students."

"New students?" Phil returned, eyeing up the prospects with a lopsided grin. "Herc, hero preliminaries aren't till tomorrow."

"What?" snapped Sora. Preliminaries?

Sota looked confused. Riku must have been as well, but he, as usual, hid it like a craftsman.

"You didn't know?" Phil barked, glancing from one boy to the next. "The hero summer program only has sixty places. They bring in eighty, teach 'em for a week, and then they decide who they want to keep!"

"What?" Sota barked. "That's not fair! We paid thousands of dollars for tickets."

"Ah, they'll give you a refund," responded Phil. "then you can go back to your peaceful lives of bozodum." With that, Phil let out a belly laugh and swiveled around on his hoofs. He seemed to be half joking, but he had taken the air out of everyone standing there's sails. After shrugging at his guests in apology, Herc told them to follow him. They did. Slowly.

The group filed over the rope and sign barring their entrance to the coliseum arena and veered right towards the hall that held the toilets. Beside the women's bathroom was a walk in closet. The interior was crammed full with statues of what looked like Greek heroes. Banners of Achilles, busts of Odysseus, weapon molds from Perseus, shrub arrangements of Theseus, and everyone else you could think of were displayed somewhere around the closet, filthy with dirt and decay. Weeds had begun sprouting through the floorboards. Cobwebs were endless. And when you stepped into direct sunlight you could see a haze of dust particles and baby flies. There was also the stench of rotting food. Herc did not seem to notice any of it. It made Sora question the condition of his supposed mattress cover.

"Oh, Herc, you would not believe who I ran into on the way here," Phil barked as he searched the closet for his panpipes. When Herc asked whom, Phil groaned again. "The Sphinx! Last time I saw her she was getting ready to eat Oedipus. Ran into her ten minutes ago lying in the dirt at the end of the road and I said, "I thought you ate yourself, or threw yourself off Mount Olympus," or something. Then I added, "night and day," before she could riddle me. She could hardly stand up she was so wasted. It's a real shame when things like this happen: you have an overworked temple guardian who can't deal with failure and what do ya get? Blanche Dubois. It's only natural."

"Phil, do you still have that mattress cover?" Herc asked. Phil snorted and said it was at the back of the closet with Ajax's training shield. Herc asked which one and Phil shouted "one of them." While Herc set off to find it, Phil turned back to Sota, Riku, and Sora, and ran his tongue over his gums. Then he pointed to them one at a time. "Maybe, yes, no," he announced. When Sora glanced in the order he had said it, he noticed that he had been the no, Sota had been the maybe, and Riku had been the yes.

"What the hell are you talking about, you old goat?" Sota growled. Phil laughed. Then he tapped his chin. "You know young man, you could either be a Hector or an Odysseus depending on which side of the coin you're looking at. You," he continued to Riku, "are a hero before his trials. And you," he added, pointing to Sora, "are a smiling idiot."

Sora didn't think he had ever been so hurt in his life. But instead of showing it, he asked Phil what was wrong with smiling.

"It's not the smiling," Phil responded, taking the challenge. "It's just you. You remind me of one of the sailors who got eaten by the Scylla when Odysseus was making his way home."

"Well that's not very nice!" Sora barked. Phil just laughed. Hercules returned with the bed cover. It actually didn't look half bad. It was dusty, but that was about it. Herc asked if they wanted to help clean it and they said yes. They traipsed into the hall and hosed it down. As they hosed, Riku asked if there was a mattress to go with it. It made Hercules gasp.

"You know, I think there is!" he beamed. He went to ask Phil for that, too. When he brought it back, the boys were less than impressed. It was cobwebby, dusty, and had a mustard stain that looked recent. Riku commented that it must have happened after the mattress was taken off the bed judging by the way it trickled. But they beat it down and spot cleaned the stain as well. When they slipped the mattress into the plastic cover, it looked practically new.

"All right boys," Herc sighed. Then he asked if they wanted to see the arena. Sota and Riku grinned and shrugged yes. Hercules led them past the bathroom hall to the arena entrance. When Sora tried following after them, Phil barred his way with one grubby hoof. When Sora demanded that he be let past, the goat hissed, "only heroes allowed beyond this point." Then he burst into laughter and disappeared after Hercules and the other two boys.

Sora listened without moving as the hall returned to silence. He was gob smacked. He had gotten into the hero-training program, hadn't he? He had just as much a right to be where he was as anyone else! He swayed a little bit as he thought about the indecency of it all. He needed a splash of water to the face. Or a head dunk in a cold pool. Then he would feel better.

Because there weren't any cold pools in sight, Sora decided on splashing water to pull himself together. Then he could face his fellow hero hopefuls once more. Swiveling on his toes and stomping for the bathroom entrance, Sora curled his hand right around the handle when he heard sharp voices extending from inside.

 _"_ _What's making you so trigger happy right now?"_ the first voice whispered. _"You do know we employ him, right? You're not going to get at him in these games."_

 _"_ _I was under the impression that I would be fighting him in the Platinum Match,"_ quipped the second.

 _"_ _If you manage to make the Platinum Match."_

 _"_ _Shut up, pipsqueak."_

 _"_ _This pipsqueak knows your dear friend well."_

Silence. Sora really should have stopped, but he couldn't resist the urge to eavesdrop.

 _"_ _So I suppose you won't let me see him, will you?"_

 _"_ _Why don't you come to the Academy?"_

 _"_ _Don't I need to take part in your twisted vetting ceremony first?"_

 _"_ _Take this meeting as your golden ticket."_

 _"_ _Golden ticket?"_ Sora thought to himself. He inched his ear closer to the door to get a better listen.

 _"_ _Play extra good, and we may even give you a key blade."_

 _"_ _I don't need a key blade. I've got my own sword."_

 _"_ _You're passing up the most powerful weapon in the galaxy for an oversized butcher's knife?"_

 _"_ _A weapon means nothing without a worthy master."_

Sora tried making out whom was talking. The inquiring voice was singsong, nasal, and familiar. The responding voice was tenor and sullen. And there was a third voice. This one hadn't spoken much. It was the youngest. Vocal fry. Familiar, too. Just barely. As if Sora had heard him speak in passing.

 _"_ _Didn't you want to be a hero?"_ asked the youngest. The sullen one responded with silence. Then, _"just tell me what to do, and do it fast."_

Sora's judgment told him to hide in the broom closet with the hero statues. After catapulting through its door, he wedged himself between a bust of Achilles and a pithos print of Odysseus and hoped for the best. Just as he situated himself, the bathroom door burst open and the first guest stormed out. A shadow blinked over Sora's feet from the open closet door as the man passed. As his footsteps disappeared down the hall, the remaining two emptied from the bathroom and whispered to one another.

"Have you talked to the other hopefuls?" asked the nasally, singsong voice. Sora had to keep himself from gasping. Reno. Or his doppelganger. Because the pair moved quickly, Sora could not catch his companion's response. Luckily the duo had not heard his heavy breathing. When Sora was sure no one was in the hall, he charged between the hero busts, from the closet, burst through the bathroom door, and thrust himself at one of the sinks so that he could pat his face with cool water. After he ran his head under the tap he looked at his reflection. Two wide, determined blue eyes stared back at him.

"You _are_ a hero!" he barked to himself. "And no chunky old goat or big blue alien can tell you different!" Then he bit his lip and fist pumped the air. When he drew his arm back down, he noticed the door to the bathroom opening in the reflection of the mirror. When he turned, he met face to face with a boy about Riku's age with spikey, golden blond hair. Sora and the mystery kid stood and stared at one another for several moments in silence. Then, after the blond had had a good look, his mouth crinkled up with a smirk. He held up an empty palm. Sora's arm twitched in response. It was the instinctive high five in him.

"Forgot my keys," the blond muttered, fluttering his fingers as if jingling the absent set. He slipped past Sora towards the narrow shelf suspended over the mirrors and reached up to pad around. When his touch met with clanging metal, he slipped the keys into his pocket and cocked his head in salutation. Sora saluted him as he turned to leave. Just as the boy reached the door, Sora asked what his name was. The boy side eyed him before responding that it was Roxas. Then he asked Sora for his name. When Sora gave it to him, Roxas' grin grew. He even chuckled.

"What's so funny?" asked Sora. But Roxas said it was nothing and closed the door. Sora was just about to return to patting his face when the door opened again and Roxas popped his head in.

"Sora?" he repeated. Sora nodded. Roxas grinned wide. "I'm staying in your shack for the hero training program," he said. Sora's brows furrowed in confusion. Then he remembered the list of seven names the lobby man at the shack kiosk had given him.

"Oh yeah!" Sora said with a bright grin. He held his hand out for Roxas to shake. "Nice to meet you!" he added with a beam. Roxas returned the hello with a two-fingered salute to the forehead, but he did not walk forward to shake Sora's hand. Then he was gone. Sora stared after the closed door to see if the blond would appear again, but he did not. With a sigh, the brunette turned back to the mirror. He narrowed his eyes as he examined himself.

"Key blade," he whispered, leaning against the porcelain and tapping his forefinger to the space below his nose. He had no idea what a "key blade" was, but it was apparently hardcore. Maybe if he worked hard enough, he could get one. Then he would prove everyone wrong. Phil, Gantu, Reno, Rai, and even Riku. Especially Riku. He just had to get through whatever "hero" preliminaries Phil had talked about.

And he had to get into that Academy. Whatever it was, and wherever it was, he had to go.


	12. Academy Acceptance Letter

_Dear Accepted_ _Sora__ _,_

 _We are delighted to inform you that based upon your performance in the eight week long Hero Training Program at Olympus Coliseum, you have been accepted into the Land of Departure Key blade Wielding Academy. Though the Senior High at the Land of Departure formerly housed only serious key blade wielders, its student body has now grown to encompass weapon summoners of all ages and persuasions! Please think about joining this intergalactic-ally acclaimed program! You will be housed and fed free of charge! Sponsored by Shinra Electric Power Company._

 _Thank you,_

 **Master Eraqus**

* * *

End Part 1


	13. The Academy

Part 2

* * *

Sora walked along the mountain path towards the Land of Departure Key Blade Academy with Hayner on one side and Sota on the other. Pence and Olette shuffled a short distance behind with Sota's girlfriend Nao. Sora could not for the life of him locate Zell, Irvine, or Rose Wilson, three of the several kids he had spent copious amounts of time with aboard the Galactic Federation vessel and during the Hero Training Course at Olympus Coliseum. Though he had wished to make friends with everyone in the eight-week hero training camp, his closest pals at the end had come from the Pauper group he lived with in the seaside shack. A relationship with the single Pauper girl group had become mandatory after Sota started inviting Nao over to the guys' shack for cards and such. Strangely, Riku was not to be found. During the last few weeks of the summer program he had spent an increasing amount of time sleeping over in Xehanort Nimoy's special "princess perks" suite on the northwest side of Thebes. He had wined and dined with Nimo and a whole assortment of privileged, talented people. And the cheeky bastard hadn't told Sora a hint about any of it. Of course, Sora's imagination had done the talking for him. As the brunette walked, he imagined beds of soft down fur, all you could eat buffets, heated pools, soda in crystal glasses, sweets galore, and lots and lots of hero time. Riku spent so much time with Nimo and company that Sora barely saw him at all anymore.

Suddenly Hayner stopped and gasped. From the twin peaks ahead rose a building that tapered into a forecourt and stairs at the base. On either side of its looming, rose windowed center were four chambers separated by gold bars and open hallways. Golden spires struck from every corner, and the behemoth seemed to stand of its own accord only by assistance of the long, impossibly thick golden chains connecting it to the mountain peaks on either side. As the group of boys and girls ascending the mountain looked upon its terrifying form, they gasped.

"I don't think I'm ready for this," gulped Hayner. Sota patted him on the back.

"Everything is chill," he quipped. Hayner grinned. Then he suddenly went in for a hug. It surprised Sota, but the boy hugged back. Pence "awed," in the background. Nao laughed.

"Let's not be late for class, guys," Olette sighed behind. With a gulp they all followed the mountain path past a collection of stone study tables and huge metal rings dangling in the air by chains on metal poles. It was all like an elaborate paddleball set up wound with picturesque glades and ponds decked with flowers and lily pads. Made Sora gulp.

When the mountain path began sloping down, Sora and company picked up their stroll to a light jog. Then, just when the walk was beginning to get easy, the path swept upwards again, until they were walking flight upon flight of stone steps in circles around the mountainside the school was carved into. It was like a twisted, spiral staircase to hell that there was no escape from. By the time everyone reached the forecourt they were gasping their last breaths. As grass and stone emptied onto smooth marble, they collapsed beneath the weight of their schoolbags and fell to the ground.

"Are we late?" Olette wheezed. Hayner shrugged. Then a calm voice ahead called their names. When they looked into the distance, Roxas, shack roommate and team member Sora had met in the Coliseum bathroom the first day of hero training, was waving to them from the front steps of the school. Beside him was a strange vision. At first Sora thought it was a mirror. Then he realized it was a different person.

"What the fuck is this?" gasped Hayner. Olette rolled her eyes at the public profanity, but it was too late. Hayner was walking over and grabbing Roxas' twin by the cheek.

"Hey!" the kid piped up. It made Roxas grin. It was clear who the older sibling was. When Sora walked towards them he reached out and brushed the mirror's cheek in awe. As his twin flinched in discomfort Roxas burst out laughing. Then he slipped his arm around his twin's shoulder and introduced him.

"This is my brother Ventus," Roxas announced.

"Wow," Hayner gasped. "You never told us!" When Roxas responded that it wasn't important, Ventus gasped up at him in shock.

"Wasn't important?" he snapped. "Man…"

"You know what's weird?" Hayner asked. "That your twin is so much shorter than you."

"He's not my twin," Roxas returned with furrowed brows. "Ventus is a year younger than me."

Hayner laughed immediately. When everyone surrounding him stayed serious, he stopped and asked if they were joking. When Roxas said no, he stood stock-still. Sora tried reading the differences between the boys. Ventus' eyes drew down at the sides where Roxas' were pretty balanced in the middle. Roxas' eyebrows pushed further over his lashes than Ventus'. Roxas' lips were poutier. His top lip was bigger and more curved. Ventus' eyes were a brighter blue. Roxas' hair was slightly larger, perhaps. That was about it, though. And height. Other than that, they were exactly alike. Sora couldn't understand how they could have been born at different times.

"So wait," Hayner whispered as he settled his hand around Roxas' shoulder. "Did your mom birth you and then wait a year to push out your brother?"

"Ugh, Hayner, get some decorum," Olette hissed with a curled lip. A familiar voice promptly lost its sanity to laughter. Wakka. Sora had not noticed him filtering up the mountain path behind them. But here he was now. And the forecourt was filling with people who were staring straight at him. Before Sora could blush, the forecourt vibrated with the sound of gonging bells, the front double doors of the academy burst open, and people began to file inside.

"Shit, time to leg it," Roxas muttered. He and Ventus said a swift goodbye. Then they were lost in the sea of students, and Sora and his friends were herded into the building and up a staircase to a balcony on the floor above. Once they reached it they swiveled up another set of stairs and turned left, into a grand hall with three throne chairs at its head. The whole auditorium was set up with row upon row of folding chairs. Each of the chairs had a nametag taped to its back. Seating was in alphabetical order. Kairi was right beside Sora. Riku was one row ahead. When Sora glanced at all the faces around him, a halo of white smacked his smile right off.

It was a girl sitting three seats away. She had big blue eyes like Kairi's except her eyelashes were much longer and lighter. Her skin was the palest white and her cheeks the pinkest Sora had ever seen. Her small lips drew together in worry under furrowed, sand colored brows. Her hair shone the lightest dust blond, and the wavy layers heaped around her shoulders and collarbone as she played with the tips. She wore a white shapeless mini dress with scallops around the edges, and blue sandals with star shaped clips on the edges. Sora stared at her unabashedly as she glanced around for twenty straight seconds. When he threatened to go into full visual hibernation, Kairi cut off his view and asked what he was staring at.

"Nothing," he replied with a gulp. As Kairi leaned back, he took one last peek at the mysterious girl. They met eyes. With a gasp Sora swiveled around and pointed his head forward. Three men were pacing towards the head of the grand hall, along with a mass of other professors who sat in the first four rows of empty seats before them. Sora recognized Reno immediately. He gasped when he saw Hercules trudging towards the student section of seats. "HERC!" Sora called with happiness, and his old friend snapped up and grinned at him. When he waved, Sora waved back. Then Hercules sat down near the head of the student body. Must have been a senior. The row of students seated at the front of the line was undoubtedly heroic. It was like their form sparkled. Sora dreamed of what he would look like once he sat up in their place. But his vision was cut off again when the man seated in the far left throne chair stood and clapped his hands. The two men to his right clapped their hands as well, and the whole room fell silent.

"Welcome to the Land of Departure Key blade Academy," the man announced. His black hair was pulled back with a red string save for one fly away curl on the right side of his widow's peak. His skin was tan and scarred. His expression was harsh. And his brilliant white teeth shone from between his mustache and… soul patch? Sora hadn't spotted one of those since his 6th grade Native Tongue teacher back in Destiny Islands.

"For some of you this year represents a dive into the unknown. For others, the sight and touch of these walls has been engraved in your memory. Within these walls you will be carried to the absolute end of your talents. You will yearn to give up. You will be given the chance again and again. But a hero is not so different from man. Like man, a hero possesses mere mortal endurance. But there is something inside a hero that a mortal man cannot conceive. Whether this assistance is divine or mundane, foreign or internal, fated or random, it is there. And it will guide you. All you must do, is open yourself to its light."

After the man with black hair finished speaking the room exploded with applause. The two men seated beside him were more serious. Their tightly shut mouths failed to cheer with their gentle claps. The one seated in the center chair wore a blue, floor length cloak and a star-studded wizard's cap. The man on the far right looked like the ninety-year-old version of Riku's new friend Nimo. Same golden eyes, same dark skin, same cool look that stated he was smarter than everyone else in the room. This guy was bald, though. And looked slightly more maniacal. Slightly.

As the clapping died down, Reno slipped from his seat to the front of the room with a clasp of notecards in his hand. When he blew the seniors a kiss, they laughed. Then he chuckled and began.

"On behalf of Shinra Electric Power Company, I welcome each and every one of you to another great year at the Land of Departure Key blade Academy!"

Everyone cheered, and Reno gave his signature sly grin before reading from the notecards again.

"This year we have modified the first year program to be more intensive. We're going to do a little experiment with the lesser-known facet of our SOLDIER program. We're also going for a more integrated approach. There will be a lot more teamwork for every grade, as evidenced in your vastly different program of studies. First year will retain its one on one combat style, which means you'll still have to defeat one of your teachers every couple weeks." The upperclassmen chuckled in remembrance. "As all previous students know, the Turks used to be the instructors for semester one. We had to change that due to growing responsibilities with Shinra. You won't see us as often as before, but we will come around to check up on things when we can." Another chuckle. "Now we're going to do a little meet and greet. We have coffee and donuts set up in the back of the hall along with desks with paperwork concerning your schedules, teams, and the teachers you will be spending most of your time with. I want each of you to take the name tag hanging on the back of your seat and look at the number held within."

Sora glanced down at his own piece of paper and noticed that it had the number one hundred printed on its back.

"We have seven orbs of light being cast throughout the chamber," Reno announced as the three men in the throne chairs behind them stood. "So pay attention. The numbers will change depending on who needs to go to the table next."

The entire first year gasped as the three men near the throne chairs materialized weapons from thin air. They sprinkled into form amidst a burst of light or darkness from each man's outstretched arm. All were similar and different in the way that they seemed to be enormous, blade-handled keys. When the key blades thrust into the air, orbs of light shot from their edges. Numbers glowed within. A girl with hair the lightest color green Sora could imagine swept up and disappeared towards the donut table in the back. The rest of the upperclassmen traipsed behind, and once they emptied from their seats, the whole student body followed. Soon everyone held a donut and coffee. Sora never liked coffee, so he hunted around until he found a water cooler and took a sip from that instead. There weren't any cups left, so he bent his open mouth over the faucet and let the water drain in. When he heard a chuckle behind him, he switched the faucet off, turned around, and blinked.

Roxas. One of the most competent, mysterious people Sora had met since the beginning of the summer. Now, he had his arms crossed and was smiling. "Well look what we have here," he chortled. Sora smiled a closed, chipmunk mouthed grin. Then he swallowed his water. When he asked what number Roxas was, the boy responded that he was eighty-two.

"I'm the big one oh oh," Sora replied. Roxas half grinned. If Sora wasn't mistaken, he appeared to be worried.

"You okay, bud?" Sora asked. Roxas laughed. " _I'm_ fine." He muttered, glancing over his shoulder towards the mysterious seven figures lining the grand hall doorway. The leader, a woman with crimson red hair slicked back by gel, was scoffing. She wore revealing armor that ended in a train of what looked like bloodied animal fur. Those behind her were shielded in darkness. The three men who had been sitting in the throne chairs were speaking with them along with Reno. Behind the lot of them stood a group of twelve people in strange black cloaks. Their hoods were pulled up. Sora stared at them in confusion until he noticed Axel. He stood a short distance from Reno with his hand draped against the wall, listening.

"It's them I'm worried about," Roxas muttered.

"Who?" asked Sora. There were so many instructors at the front of the hall that he could barely count the lot of them. But Roxas pointed to the seven in the doorway. "The new professors," he muttered, "and if they are who I think they are…" Then, suddenly, he trailed off and disappeared through the crowd, leaving Sora to his own devices. He stood dumbly in the hall center with his paper in one hand and a stack of four donuts in his other. As he ate them, he listened to the people around him introducing themselves.

"My eight royal brothers fell to sickness and war. My young husband was murdered when I was but seventeen years old."

"My mother was slaughtered and my entire village destroyed when I was but a child."

"I am a crown prince sworn to protect my one true love!"

"My sister was crown princess of the silver moon, until she was kidnapped."

"I lived with my grandmother and friends in a ruined world. After meeting my eternal love, I sought Valhalla and vowed to become strong enough to be her keeper."

"Shit," Sora said to himself as he walked by. Seemed like everyone had an epically bad background here. He started to worry that if he stuck around these guys too long, his mom and dad back in Destiny Islands would be picked up by an angry storm of darkness or something, never to be seen again. Then he wondered if they had gotten the last letter he sent them. They hadn't been too happy about him picking up and leaving for a vague academy they never heard of. But Sora couldn't throw this chance away. When he looked at the orbs of floating light, he noticed they had reached number eighty-seven. That meant Roxas had gotten his schedule already. As Sora waited in patience for his own, he scarfed down another donut.


	14. The Tsviets

At the front of the hall, Reno delegated the newest faculty members. When he pointed to the various first years huddled throughout the room, the woman in crimson stepped forward and asked which ones he wanted broken. Axel snorted behind, but Reno pursed his lips and rubbed his chin as he looked around. Then he started pointing.

"That one," he said, indicating a boy with bleach blond hair gelled into curly spikes.

"Those two," he added, pointing to a ganguro couple holding hands.

"That one, that one, that one, that one, that one," then he bit his lip and found the boy at the center of the room, with the spiky brown hair and the four donuts stacked under his chin. "And that one."

"What about the princesses?" a man with bandages around his pale face whispered from behind the doorway.

"Of heart?" Reno replied with a shrug. "We don't know who they are yet. If you suspect them, prod them gently. Same for royalty. We don't want lawsuits on our backs from their respective kingdoms." The seven chuckled behind him. Axel watched his brother as he spoke. When he heard footsteps behind him and felt a soft hand press against his shoulder, he swept his gaze to the side and met with a pair of eyes a deeper shade of green than his own.

The blonde with slicked back hair leaned against him and watched as he examined Shinra's newest lackies. When her eyes fell upon the woman in crimson, she cocked her head and asked whom she was.

"Rosso," Axel murmured. "The sadist."

"Your sadism or my sadism?" she asked.

"Yours," responded Axel, "by ten."

"Ooh," the blonde shot back. She grinned with excitement. "She breaks her toys?"

"More like tears them apart," Axel returned.

"Who has she set her sights on?" asked the blonde. Axel indicated the last boy Reno had pointed to, the one with the brown spikey hair and the stack of donuts. The blonde's nose wrinkled in agreement.

"How long do you think he'll last?" she cooed. Axel chuckled down at her. "Don't know. My brother is placing bets."

"Are you?"

"Not yet. I'm deciding whether I want to meddle with this one."

A short distance behind Axel, Roxas stood with his schedule tight under his arm. He looked upon the red head coolly, but before the man could catch him, he slipped past the seven new faculty members and was gone.


	15. Eat and Greet

Following the massive meet and greet, Sora and his fellow first years went through a tour of the facilities. Afterwards they were taken for a free lunch in the town below. There was a lovely seafood place along the river beneath the Land of Departure's twin peaks. As over forty kids huddled over the menus on the porch outside, Sora filed through his paperwork to see whom he was rooming with. The first was the boy dressed in blue who had talked in the hall about pursuing his true love to Valhalla. Noel Kreiss. When Sora tried interrupting his conversation with a red headed girl with glowing skin and teal eyes, he ignored him. So Sora toddled over to his next victim. Yoshiya Kiryu was sitting at a table pestering a boy with orange spikey hair like Sora's. Sora's brother from another mother had headphones the size of bowling balls strapped around his head. His chin was nuzzled deep within the cape of a massive purple collar. When Sora waved at both boys and asked if they had his name on their dorm room list, Yoshiya said yes. Sora whipped his hand out for Yoshiya to five. When Yoshiya stared at his outstretched palm the boy with the headphones snickered.

Suddenly self-conscious, Sora croaked that he needed a drink of water. Then he dashed to the bathroom and stuck his head in the sink. Something strange was happening to him. He was not acting himself at all. Usually Sora was a ray of sunshine. But today, his heart beat hard and his palms sweated as he glanced from person to person, yearning to speak with his friends but wanting to link with new classmates.

When the bathroom door opened behind him, Sora hit his head on the faucet and yelped as he pulled his face from the water. As he massaged his sore scalp, he looked around to see who had joined him. Hayner. He looked twice as nervous as Sora did.

"You feeling what I'm feeling?" he croaked. When Sora asked, "what," Hayner snorted, "like you want to hop in one of those toilets and flush yourself down."

"No," Sora lied. Again, Hayner snorted. Then he patted Sora on the shoulder. "I'll miss you, dude. I'm stuck with a bunch of superheroes."

"Really?" Sora gasped. Hayner shrugged. "I don't know," he muttered, "but they all seem pretty fucking extraordinary by the way they boast about themselves."

"How is Wakka doing?" Sora asked. "And Riku?"

"I don't know, but they're in the same room," Hayner responded. "With that Xehanort Nimo kid." For some reason, Sora's heart fell. He decided to change the subject, chirping, "How about Roxas?"

"I don't know," responded Hayner. "I haven't seen him all day." Then he pulled Sora into a surprise bro hug and told him to stay positive. "You are us normal guys' shining light," he added with a grin. This brightened Sora enough that he was able to muscle his way through a history lesson on the Land of Departure's surrounding village and dinner in the school mess hall relatively unscathed. When he was herded by an upperclassman to his dorm hall with his canvas bag slung around his shoulder, though, it was a different story. It seemed that dorms in the hero academy were separated by gender but not by class. Hordes of boys of varying ages stood on either side of the hall chanting and booing at the incoming freshmen. Sora almost had his duffel bag swept away in the onslaught, but luckily he packed his parasol and was able to beat away a pair of strong grubby hands before they could lay claim to his deflated beach ball and swim trunks. When he reached his dorm room door and catapulted himself inside, he was met with two disinterested glances. Yoshiya Kiryu lay slumped against the bed on the opposite wall reading. Neku was listening to music in the bunk below.

"When are you showering?" Yoshiya called out. Sora shrugged and said he might do it in the morning.

"That's smart," Yoshiya said with a strange grin. Then he told Sora to call him Joshua. Sora smiled to himself and told Joshua that he sure would. He felt like he was finally making friends.

"Everyone have their alarm clocks set for eight?" a voice piped up as its owner entered the room behind. Noel Kreiss. Neku grunted and Joshua nodded. Sora slapped his hand to his face as he set his duffel on the last free bed. "Oh crap! I forgot to buy an alarm!" he gasped. Joshua's smile widened. He told Sora he would wake him up before the beginning of class. Again Neku grunted beneath him. When Sora attempted asking him about himself the orange haired boy slipped his headphones over his ears and rolled over. Noel got his showering stuff and disappeared. When Sora and Joshua were alone, Sora asked Joshua when he was having his shower.

"Oh, I don't know" Joshua responded with a sigh. "I may just follow you in."

The silence was tangible as Joshua faked reading through his magazine to see what Sora's reaction would be. The younger boy's resulting beam was enough to make Joshua raise an eyebrow.

"Okay!" Sora said. "Then we can go to breakfast together!"

"It's a date" Joshua responded, taking another sly peek over. Sora just beamed wider.

 _"_ _Looks like at least one of my roommates is a nice guy!"_ he thought to himself as he snuggled into bed. Heck, he was feeling so good that he took one of his little stuffed animals from his duffel and used it for a stomach rest as he nudged onto his side. When Joshua saw it, his brows raised so high they nearly migrated over the back of his head.

"You like stuffed animals, Sora?" he asked. Sora shrugged and held up his saggy plastic pellet shark with a grin. "Oh, this old fella? His name is Jaws Junior. I just couldn't leave him behind."

"Where's Jaws Senior?"

"He was eaten by my friend's dog. It was a tough parting."

"Out of curiosity, Sora, how old are you?"

"Fourteen!" responded Sora.

"Ah," Joshua murmured. "Young! You must have been extra talented to get into the program at fourteen."

Sora shrugged, chuffed. "Well, there were like seven of us who got in."

"Then you must all be extraordinary," murmured Joshua. "They would not have let you in below fifteen if you were not."

It bolstered Sora's confidence so much that he almost immediately fell into a dreamless sleep. For hours he drifted on an internal bed of clouds. The warmth of sun and coolness of an open window slipped through his conscious, along with the faces of the instructors in the great hall doorway, of Axel, and of Reno's smile. Muffled voices slipped by as he crept into infinity.

 _"_ _Does someone need to wake him up?"_

 _"_ _I'll wake him up."_

 _"_ _You gonna fuck him over on his first day?"_

 _"_ _Good morning to you, too. Would you like to wake him instead?"_

 _"_ _Whoever goes out last should do it."_

 _"_ _I still need to have my shower. I'll wake him."_

 _"_ _Fine, it's settled. You want to come along?"_

 _"_ _No."_

 _"_ _Okay. We can walk side by side and ignore each other."_

 _"_ _Bye, baes. See you in twenty."_

Now, from Sora's point of view, this should have been the moment when he was led by the hand from his dark slumber into the light of the first day of school. All that followed was silence. Then a slammed door.

Nobody woke him up.


	16. First Day of School

Sora nearly busted a gut charging from his dorm room to the forecourt. As he passed the Academy's open-air halls on the third floor, he gasped. Down on the green below, all first years were introducing themselves one by one to their seven new professors. To make matters worse, they were almost finished.

Hoisting himself up and throwing his leg over the banister, Sora slid down two flights of stairs right into the Academy's front hall. The momentum he picked up as he descended sent him flying through the air at the banister's end until he lolloped like a goose right through the Academy's double entrance doors. His legs kicked impossibly high behind him as he struggled to keep himself from tipping over and rolling like a bowling ball down the mountain path ahead. His arms flailed around him as he stumbled, attracting the eyes of the entire first year student body. When he whizzed past all of them towards the faculty members he began to fear he would never stop. But before he could pitch himself over the side of the forecourt's cliff edge, a boot toe blocked his path. When Sora's yellow runners made headway with the heel, the boy yelped and sailed through the air until he hit his head on the wall separating the court from the mountain path behind. The friction from his face mashing against marble made him skid to a stop. He groaned and rubbed his temple. Then he felt a long shadow pass over him. When he looked up, a pair of shining red eyes met him. Their owner dug her heel so deep into Sora's outstretched hand that he gasped.

"Vat do ve have here?" murmured the woman, bending close to get a good look at Sora's face. She picked up his chin, pricking her nails into the thick skin around his jaw as she examined him. Sora's heart beat through his chest. The pain in his hand was dulling to numbness. His mouth hung open in shock. The woman drew so close he could feel the warmth of her breath on his nose. Her crimson curls spilled over Sora's neck as she grinned. Her cocked head blocked the low sun.

"Late on his very first day," she cooed. A woman with black hair and an eye patch under what looked like a horned tiara stepped forward. When her thick black boots reached the crimson lady's side, the latter removed her foot from Sora's fist. Then she shoved Sora's face with her hand and stood. The woman replacing her asked Sora what his name was. He told her. She commanded him to get up and face his instructors. Sora did. His hand was beginning to ache. When the black haired woman asked him to hold it before him, his stomach fell. His arm jittered as he reached out the swollen appendage. When the woman with the black hair and eye patch grabbed him by the wrist and squeezed, Sora gasped in pain and hiccupped.

"Argento the Silver," she snapped. When she gave a slight bow to Sora, Sora returned the sentiment with a nod and a wave. There was the sound of swooshing air, and a metal rod wacked against Sora's back, causing him to stumble forward and cry out in confusion. All he could see from the corner of his eye was an enormous crimson blade.

"Sora," Argento murmured. The blade was not hers. "When someone of greater authority bows to you, you return the favor with a deeper bow. Remember that."

"I will," blubbered Sora. Another whack on the back.

"And you vill speak ven commanded or stay silent," hissed the red headed woman from behind. Sora bit his lip to stop from hiccupping. He nodded and bowed very deeply. Argento bowed once more in return, and Sora copied her so that his nose nearly touched the ground. The crimson-headed woman burst out laughing behind him. After Argento finished, the crimson-headed woman went next.

"Rosso ze Crimson," she snarled, cocking her head forward. Before Sora could bow she grabbed him by the hand she had stepped on and squeezed with both of her fists. Sora gasped in pain. There was a commotion in the student body behind as a familiar head of hair fought forward to see what was going on. When Sora's gaze wandered to the side, he met the glance of Riku. His old friend stood expressionless. Hayner, Olette, and Wakka's mouths hung wide with shock.

"Bow," Rosso said. Though he did not want to, Sora did. As she screamed for him to go lower her blade hit his back again. When his nose was touching the ground she threw back her head and cackled. Then, satisfied, she passed the torch to a towering beast of a man leaned against the archway beside. His blue hair plastered his dark face. His eyes were completely yellow. No irises. Sora blinked up at him through tears. When the man grabbed his bad hand, Sora swallowed bile. He was being crushed.

"Azul the Cerulean," the monster growled. Sora nodded and cocked his head forward to say he was ready to bow. Another whack on the back. He could hear Kairi's voice as she pushed people past. He gritted his teeth to stop from screaming. The only thing he needed next was for her to embarrass him in front of the whole student body by trying to protect him.

"Ven Azul states his name, I suggest you bow," Rosso hissed. Sora bowed until his nose touched the ground. Another whack on the back. "Now you mock," Rosso sighed. She had lost care. She was hitting him whenever it suited her. Sora tried bowing somewhere in between. Rosso hit him again. Before he could help himself he let out a sob. Rosso's eyes shone. She lowered her head so she could see his face. When she noticed the fat water globules, she grinned with an open mouth and cried out in satisfaction. Then she swept up and wacked him so that he fell to the ground.

"Children cry," she sang. "Not heroes." Sora did not think he was strong enough to get up. Every time he attempted to stand, pain seared through his legs. He was sure his spine was shattered. How else could he be in this much pain? He heard Rosso roar, "stand." When he could not, she hit him again, this time in the shoulder. He cried out. Then, there was another screech. Pushing. Kairi scrambled her way to the center of the forecourt and lunged over Sora's beaten body. When he felt her short bob tumble over his neck, he nearly died from embarrassment. Then its tickle disappeared as she flung her head up to meet Rosso's glance with a glare.

"He is doing his best!" Kairi snarled. "How do you expect him to think when you beat him up for your own satisfaction?"

"Little princess girl," Rosso laughed, "Do you consider sniveling, crying, and brandishing disrespect in a school for heroes a demonstration of 'ze best?'"

"We come from Destiny Islands," Kairi continued with a shout, "where respect is earned, not demanded!" When Rosso turned with glee to her coworkers, Kairi added, "and we don't bow like slaves, either!"

There was an audible gasp from the whole assembly of students. Hayner and Olette slapped their hands to their forehead. Pence sobbed. Rosso hissed. Her red, double bladed weapon raised over her head, and Kairi welcomed it with a puffed out chest. But before Rosso could strike her with it, there was another shout. Argento groaned behind and rubbed her face. Kairi and the student body turned. To their surprises, it was Riku. He stepped forward and asked for Kairi's hand. Kairi refused, but he pulled her up and sent her flying behind him like a ragdoll, into Xehanort Nimoy's arms where she stayed. Then he bowed before Rosso. He bowed perfectly. When he stood, he apologized for he, Kairi, and Sora.

"Forgive us," he muttered. "We come from a backwards nation filled with isolated islands. This is our first foray into the outside world. We're learning civilization as fast as we can."

"Riku," Kairi gasped. Nimo's hands tightened around her arms. She looked around her in shock. Rosso glanced over Riku with a strange grin, examining his scowl, his silver hair, and the budding muscles beneath his yellow vest and tragic blue chaps. She tilted his face towards her with the tip of her blade; drawing as close she could without their faces touching. Then she slapped him. Kairi gasped. Sora was just glad not to be hit.

Riku returned his hard gaze to Rosso without missing a beat. In return, the redheaded woman harrumphed and told Sora to stand. Sora did so barely, and managed to bow without tipping over to Azul the Cerulean. After this, a girl no taller than himself stepped before him and told him her name was Shelke the Transparent. Sora nodded. When she shook his hand, she did not squeeze at all. She bowed to him, and he bowed back. The next two men refused to step forward. Their remaining companion went in their place. He had a silver mane that twisted around his scalp like fire. When he took Sora's hand and squeezed, Sora gagged. He had the worst grip of them all. As Sora's bones cracked beneath the man's fingertips, Sora gulped. His vision swam. Somehow, he bowed. He did not hear the man's name. Then, Rosso shoved him with her foot back into the student body. When Sora stumbled backwards, a pair of sturdy arms caught him. Then, a familiar voice whispered in his ear and told him to hang in there. Roxas.

Argento commented that for their first day, the students would practice warming up. They would be given a run down of different types of weaponry, something called summoning, "magic," and a whole lot of other mumbo jumbo that Sora was too busy fighting unconsciousness to hear. At the end of the week they would be tested, and for the rest of the semester they would be divided into seven groups according to skill level. When Argento was finished constructing her timetable aloud, she turned to Sora and asked him to step forward.

"As punishment for being late, you will run the entire mountain path surrounding the school. When you have completed your run you will return to the forecourt and report to me. If you miss any following lessons, you alone will be responsible for catching up on the material."

"Yes," Sora slurred in broken disbelief. Without his approval the sturdy arms shoved him forward. Sora felt a sting of cold brush against him. Someone must have been holding something metal. As Sora lolloped forward he let the momentum of the shove carry him to the beginning of the mountain path. The decline did the rest. In no time Sora was trundling like a drunken goose down the curve of the mountainside. As he watched above as the rest of the class disappeared from view, a group of four golden bells descended from the sky. Silver ribbons materialized from nothing around them, and the bells jingled and sprinkled twinkling dust over Sora's head and back. A wave of green energy flowed through him, and something in his blood clicked and pumped a sweet sensation through. This felt like the time he had gone to the hospital to get his broken arm set. He had been seven, and they had put a mask over his face and made him breath in. Except this was way better. He did not feel hazy. Just blisteringly alive. He was able to run and stand straight again. It was as if Rosso had never touched him at all.

"I'm completely better!" Sora cackled to himself. He threw a naughty hand gesture he had learned from Wakka's father's fishermen friends towards wherever he thought Rosso was. He hoped the spell that fell over him would last him the rest of the run. He skipped and yelled as he charged, whizzing down the mountain until he met with the dirt path leading to the village square. As the smell of shops wafted from the distance, Sora only felt better. He waved as he passed them by. But as the day wore on and the village disappeared behind, his limbs began to burn. He began limping. He looked into the sky to see if the bells would descend again. They did not. He was completely alone. When he reached the end of the mountain trail that carried around the edge of the summit, he started back again, sloshing through the streams along the hillside on purpose to feel moisture on his skin. His throat was parched. He bent down and chugged some running water. Then he continued. By the time he reached the forecourt again, nobody was there. With a cry of disappointment, Sora glanced around to see where they had gone. Then he limped inside the front doors of the school to see if anyone was around. His legs could barely move. His clothing was plastered to his skin.

"Hello?" he croaked. His speaking was more of a hiss now than actual sounds. His vocal cords were completely fried. What he really wanted was a wheelchair and a gallon size bottle of water. But everything was silent save for the grand hall upstairs. Sora moaned as he forced himself towards them. When he attempted to lift himself up the first step, he couldn't. So he just lied on the marble floor. Eventually a big black boot landed near his hand. When he looked up, he noticed a pair of emeralds set in a red mane. When the emeralds blinked, their owner grinned.

"Sora!" Axel cried. Sora tried acting like a proper acquaintance and actually greet him. But instead of saying "hello," all that came out was a guttural wheeze. Axel's smile only grew wider as he examined the sweat caking Sora's brow.

"You look like shit, man," he said gleefully. Sora was too torn apart to notice his companion's over brimming joy.

"You're telling me," the boy mouthed. Then he shook his head and asked Axel for some water.

"What, Sora?" Axel asked, bending his head forward and cupping his hand around his ear. "A wire?"

"No, water, please," Sora gasped. Axel pursed his lips and furrowed his brows elaborately.

"Um… there are no waiters here," he sighed, shaking his head with a sigh. Sora stared at him like he had two heads. At this point, he was beginning to think Axel was just messing with him.

"WATER!" he tried roaring. All that came out was a wheezing, coughing fit. As Axel pumped him on the back, Sora mimed shoving a water bottle head into his mouth and chugging it down. Axel scowled and stood behind him.

"Now, Sora, I know you're irritated for some reason, but that's no excuse to make dirty gestures at a faculty member," Axel said with his head cocked to the side.

"I wasn't!" Sora mouthed through tears. Really, he had no idea what the phooey he was doing wrong. Axel just patted his back and grinned.

"You take care now, Sora. Have you seen Roxas around by any chance?"

"Water," Sora begged.

"I'll take that as a no," sighed Axel in reply. Then he left Sora to die of heatstroke. Ten minutes later, another set of feet stepped down the stairs towards him. When he looked up, he expected to see Roxas. But it was Argento.

"Oh, fuck me," Sora wheezed, rubbing his side and hoping she would end him now. To his surprise, Argento bent close and handed him a bottle of water. Sora took it with shaking fingers and drank the whole thing in one go. When he was finished, Argento leaned on the wall beside him and asked how his run was.

"It was… life changing," Sora tried.

"Good," Argento responded. "Because you will be completing another tomorrow for cursing in front of a faculty member."

Sora stabbed himself internally in the heart. On the outside he slumped over the side of the banister and hoped that a black hole would open up and swallow him.

"I do my morning run at six o'clock. If you would like to join me, we can complete your punishment together," she murmured. "I doubt you want to complete it during class in the presence of Rosso."

Sora looked up at Argento like she was a goddess. She kind of did look like one, what with the tiara and everything. She cracked some semblance of a smile.

"Sora," she said, "I am an instructor. I may be harsh, but I am no demon."

"What is Rosso?" asked Sora. Argento bit her lip.

"Well, she's no instructor," the woman said. Sora nodded. Argento reached behind her and pulled out two more bottles. "Pace yourself as you drink these, and make sure you can walk yourself to the bathroom. Do not be late when we start our evening session. If you run satisfactorily tomorrow morning, I shall give you the material we learned today."

"Thank you," Sora breathed.

"It isn't a problem, Sora," Argento murmured. "Just do not let it happen again." As she started to leave, she turned back and held up her index finger. "And for the pain, I suggest filling and freezing one of those empty bottles. When you get home, rub it on the sore joints. Ten minutes on, ten minutes off, as many times as it takes," she tried going again, but another thought crossed her mind. "And intake some sort of carbohydrate protein drink as you run tomorrow. It reduces muscle injury."

Then she left him on his own. Sora drank the other two bottles of water. Then he went to the bathroom, filled one bottle, and limped around for a fridge. When one of the kitchen staff walked by Sora asked if he could store his bottle with them for the day and pick it up later. They said yes. So Sora returned to the forecourt and attempted to blend in for the remainder of class. Luckily everyone sat around the steps the whole time discussing weaponry. Sora had forgotten a notebook. When he attempted to ask Kairi for pen and paper, Rosso's eyes scanned towards him. He ducked and hid until the bell rang for four. Before his instructors came up with another clever way of punishing him, he lolloped from the forecourt and hunted around the front hall for someone to copy that day's work from. When he settled his eyes on Roxas, he grinned and charged towards him. Without thinking Sora jumped on the boy's back and made him hit his side into the banister by the staircase to the great hall. When Roxas' knees buckled and he nearly fell, he yelped in pain.

"Fuck, Sora!" he gasped. Then he chucked the younger boy off him and rubbed his lower back and thighs.

"What's wrong?" Sora asked. "You didn't hit the banister that hard. Did they punish you, too?"

"No," Roxas scowled, leaning against the banister with care. "No."

"Roxas," Sora continued, "thank you for your support today. Can you by chance let me copy your notes?"

Roxas just scoffed and told him to jump on someone else's back. As the blond stalked off with a slight stammer in his step, Sora furrowed his brows and slumped over. Then he dragged himself up the stairs to the grand hall and walked towards the kitchen area. He asked for his bottle and when dinner was. They told him to come back at six, but gave him his water. Sora returned to the forecourt and sat raking his legs with the icy plastic. He did fifteen on and fifteen off. He wondered what a carbohydrate protein drink was, and how he would get one before tomorrow morning. In a masochistic way he was kind of excited about running with Argento. She was giving him a second chance.

As he splayed himself across the forecourt mosaic, he noticed a brunette with dark blue eyes taping a poster advertisement for a jazz band to the outside doors. Her hair was pulled back in a neat half ponytail. The rest fell down her shoulders like a sheet of metal. When she turned for more tape she noticed Sora and smiled.

"You want to join the jazz club?" she asked. "I play the flute. Do you play an instrument?"

"No," Sora said. The girl's shoulders fell, but she continued smiling. "Oh, well, I suppose we can teach you. Have you joined any clubs yet?"

"There are clubs here?" Sora asked. For a hero school, this place was suspiciously like Destiny Islands Junior High. Well, except for the brutal torture, giant blades, and sadistic professors.

"Well, yeah," the girl responded. "You were supposed to join three when you signed up for classes."

"There are classes here?" Sora asked. The girl just blinked at him. Then she checked her watch and left. Another hour passed, and the sounds of clanging pots and pans filtered outside along with the smell of cooking. When Sora wandered back upstairs to see what was going on, he noticed students carrying food in and out through the kitchens. Was there a culinary club?

When the bell rang Sora was the first to get his grub. He asked if anyone knew about protein carbohydrate drinks. One of the cooking students suggested that he blend fried eggs with porridge and sandwich bread. Sora thanked him and dived into his own food. When he felt like standing, he trudged from the great hall through the forecourt and down the mountain trail. Soon he found himself at the Land of Departure summit. There, he noticed a girl with short magenta hair swishing a wooden sword through the air. She was sweating like crazy through her spandex shorts and baggy lavender tank. Across from her crouched Zell Dincht, fighting barehanded. When he noticed Sora coming towards them, he waved. The magenta headed girl turned. Kairi.

"Sora!" Kairi called, charging towards him and throwing her arms around him. It hurt his legs so much that he collapsed against Zell's knees. As the boy picked him up, Kairi gasped that she was sorry. Then she prodded around Sora's back to see if he was okay.

"You," she said with furrowed brows, "You seem a hell of a lot better than when we were in class."

"I know," Sora wheezed. "When I was on the run these weird bells twinkled over my head and I just all of a sudden felt better!" When Kairi checked his scalp for bruises Sora elaborated that the bells materialized from thin air. Kairi gasped and gripped his shoulders tight.

"Sora!" she barked. "You're displaying magic proficiency! You're probably a healer!"

"A healer?" Sora snapped. "That's not very heroic…"

"Well, shit, Sora, that's better than the rest of us," Zell laughed. "I wish I could summon bells."

"Sora," Kairi whispered, putting her hand to his cheek and grinning. "This is a good thing."

Right there, Sora asked if he could copy Kairi's notes. Kairi nodded and pulled out her spiral. It looked like the damn thing was full already.

"Kairi," Zell said, "I know I shouldn't be saying this because _I_ copied your stuff too, but writing anything and everything the instructor says is not going to make you a hero."

"Oh, lay off!" Kairi snapped as she handed the pages to Sora. Zell rolled his eyes and chuckled. Then he asked if Kairi wanted to continue practicing while Sora copied. Kairi nodded and sprang to meet him. Sora chuckled as they worked. Kairi was swinging as if she were mashing the attack button on a video game controller. There was no strategy at all. Then again, he couldn't say he was much better, at least in comparison to Riku.

When Sora examined Zell, all he saw was someone dodging. He wasn't telling Kairi what to do at all; he was just letting her get tired. When she needed a break, he'd sit behind her and give her shoulder massages. It was all highly suspicious, but Sora put it out of his mind because he needed to get on with his homework. He decided to start with page one.

For the next four hours Sora copied everything down, battling feelings of stupidity until Kairi patted him on the back and said it was eleven o'clock.

"Son of a nutcracker!" Sora gasped, jumping up and gathering his papers. Kairi and Zell glanced at his lack of supplies in pity. Before they could say anything else, Sora charged towards the forecourt and through the front hall to the kitchens. When he tried getting in he found that they were locked. He would not be able to make his protein carb tonight. Cursing, he called it quits and headed to his dorm room. When he got inside and saw Noel setting his alarm, Sora clapped his hand to his forehead and cursed again.

"What is it?" Noel asked.

"I forgot to buy an alarm," Sora blubbered. He was starting to feel physically ill with worry. As Noel shook his head and left the room with his toiletries and a towel, a voice called down from above, asking how Sora's day went. When Sora looked up, he met eyes with Joshua. He was reading something called, "Journey to the End of the Night" by some lady called "Céline." As Joshua flipped to the next page he chuckled. Sora frowned and said his day had been interesting.

"As interesting as mine?" Joshua asked.

"I don't know," sighed Sora, trying to be polite. Finally Joshua put down the book and glanced at him with narrowed eyes.

"How was being late?" he asked. Sora shrugged and said it was terrible.

"I saw what they did to you," Joshua sighed. Then he picked up his book and glanced through the pages with his hand on his chin. "I felt _so bad_ ," he muttered. Then he chuckled again. The book must have been a comedy.

"That's okay," Sora mumbled. "Just… maybe I can ask one of the other fellas to wake me up tomorrow."

"No, Sora," Joshua responded, throwing the book to his pillow and glancing down at the blue-eyed boy eagerly. "Please give me another chance!"

"Well…" Sora started. There was a crash from the bed below, and suddenly Neku's earphone-less head popped up from under the covers.

"If you fucking do it, Sora," he growled.

"Neku is implying I'm untrustworthy, Sora," Joshua sang. "That makes me feel sad."

Sora sighed in exasperation and rubbed his eyes with his fingertips. "Now, there's no need to be mean, Neku."

"I'll wake you the fuck up, Sora," Neku snarled. When he said he woke up at five, Sora beamed and said that was exactly when he needed to wake up. Above him Joshua cackled, pleading to wake Sora up.

"I can do it, Sora!" he laughed. "I swear I can wake you up at five!"

"Well…" Sora muttered.

"Sora, I feel really bad, let me make it up to you!"

Sora glanced from Neku's burning blues to Joshua's placid lavenders and bit his lip. Then, in defeat, he pointed to Joshua and climbed into bed. He would shower after his run tomorrow. Across from him, Joshua clapped in delight. Neku shook his head. Then he put his earphones on and shrunk beneath the covers once more.


	17. Day Two

Sora charged under the high sun across the forecourt mosaic with his empty stomach flipping around inside him. Yet again, he was late, but this time he had overslept through twice as much class as he had yesterday. He just prayed that Rosso didn't cut him in half. Or Argento, for that matter. He had completely missed their run. If he was late today, that meant he owed her two punishments. He couldn't do two summit runs in one day, right? He shoved it from his mind as he charged around in circles. The class was not in the forecourt, meaning they were probably practicing with the big golden rings hanging in the mountain path gardens. Nodding to himself, Sora flew towards them, gasping as the heads of students and teachers came into view across the horizon.

Sora slipped an old notebook from under his arm and used it as a board to slide down the mountain stair railing with. By the time he reached the bottom, it was nearly torn to shreds. He would have to copy Kairi's notes again. As he crossed the white stone bridge to the third peak he put it out of mind. Then he sailed down the winding path and over the cliff side stream leading to the gardens and stone tables. Sitting around in a circle, watching as several students worked with the golden rings that rotated on brown rope from twisting wooden poles, was the entirety of the first year class. When Argento turned her head and glanced Sora coming down the mountain path towards them, she swept past the lurking Rosso for the boy's side. When she was close enough to spit on him she slapped him in the face. Hard. Sora's head snapped back. When he drew it forward and touched his hand to his cheek, he met Argento's eyes. She was livid.

"You thankless slime," she hissed, shoving Sora to the ground. As he fell he yelped. Then he felt cool metal fall against the hollow under his Adam's apple. When he peeked down, he was met with the hilt of a broadsword as big as himself. He wondered if he was going to be beheaded.

"I vouched for you and you betrayed my trust," the woman hissed. She raised her sword and mashed it into the ground at Sora's cheek. The sword caught the side of Sora's ear, and he gasped as the cartilage tore away. When Argento commanded Sora to stand, he did. His ear bled profusely. He shook. Argento caught his sweat stained chin under her hand and bent close to his face. Then she told him to run. When Sora asked how long, he received a second slap in the face.

"As long as I see fit," Argento roared. Then she turned Sora around and kicked him with her foot. He lurched forward and fell into the mountain stream, dying its water pink with blood. Dark laughter bubbled behind him. Rosso. He felt faint. When he turned Argento thundered for him to stand. When he stood, she pointed her sword towards the mountain path again, to where it forked off to either of the academy's sides. Sora gulped and started jogging. A voice behind him boomed for him to go faster. He picked up the jog to a run. Before he knew it he was whizzing down the mountain path again, glancing behind him to see if anyone was watching. Argento stood at the tip of the cliff above with her hands crossed over her chest, witnessing his every move. The minute she turned away, Sora felt the silver bells descend again. The transparent ribbons flitted around his cheeks and he felt a warmth pass through his earlobe. The snag was gone, and the part of his ear that had been cleft was back again. Sora gasped as he prodded around it, yelping with delight and running faster. Not only was his ear better. The rest of him felt great. He felt like he could run forever and not feel a thing. With a bright smile he glanced into the sky and grinned.

Maybe being a healer was the first step in his hero's journey. Soon, he figured, he would have endless magical powers. By then, he would not even need a key blade. He would be able to take on all of his instructors without even lifting a finger. As the sun crept west, Sora crept on.


	18. Ventus and Company

Sora was limping around the outskirts of the village in the Land of Departure Valley when a silver, falcon-like bird flew close and landed on his shoulder. Assuming it was a sign for him to return to the school, he swiveled around and dragged himself towards the stone ruins hike to the bridge. Then the bird leaned into his ear and asked, "have you need of assistance," and Sora croaked and tumbled to the side in confusion. He had seen aliens, he had witnessed swords materializing from midair, and he had even healed a most likely broken spine and replaced a missing ear. But he had never heard an animal speak in human tongue.

When he returned his gaze to his new, feathered friend, the falcon stared back at him and blinked. Sora muttered that he did not need assistance. He could barely speak or walk, but he would not allow himself to be carried like a baby back to the school. If he could just find it in him to heal again…

Before he could say another word the bird was gone. As Sora walked he wept, kind of wishing that he had asked for help. He imagined being carried on a bed of clouds towards the infirmary and resting for a week. He didn't think he could last much longer without at least downing a few painkillers.

As he forced himself up the stone hike to the bridge with as little legwork as he could muster, Sora glanced up. The sun was a sliver on the horizon. Twilight. Almost nightfall. How long had he been going, then? Ten hours? He groaned. Then he limped over the stone bridge and made his way towards the school, curling around the mountainside the forecourt was indented into. When he was close enough to touch the forecourt railings, the silver bells rained down again. Sora jumped with joy as his legs began working, but tumbled and cried as he fell over his feet. Looked like his healing powers were slower this time. When he reached the center of the forecourt and buckled his knees to keep from falling over, he glanced around for Argento. The longer he waited, the farther he sunk. Just as he reached the point of giving in, the academy entrance opened and Argento walked out.

Argento's brows rose as she took Sora in. But her eyes narrowed the longer she looked until she turned away and clicked her tongue.

"I am surprised you are still standing," she murmured. "Most would have suffered unconsciousness by this time."

"I'm close," Sora huffed in return. Argento bit her lip. Then she stepped close to Sora and drew his chin upwards.

"Did you receive any assistance on this run, Sora?" she whispered dangerously. Sora gulped. "There was a bird," he croaked. Argento scowled beside him and told him that that was her doing.

"You were the bird?" Sora gasped.

"No, I owned the bird," snapped Argento in return. She let go of Sora's chin with a shove that sent him to the ground. As he fought to stay conscious, Argento stood at his side in pity.

"Sora," she sighed. "What are you doing? Why are you consistently late?"

Sora gulped. He wished he could tell her about what had happened with Joshua. But Sora did not want to rat anyone out. So he just shrugged.

"Do you have an alarm clock?" asked Argento.

"No," Sora responded. Argento sighed. Then she dug in her pocket and brought out a disk on a string. She threw it through the air. When Sora caught it he noticed that it was a tiny stopwatch with an alarm set for six. As Sora glanced from it to Argento in wonder, the woman threw him something else. Sora caught it. It was a water bottle filled with some kind of milky slime.

"What's this?" Sora asked.

"Protein shake," Argento muttered in reply. "If you take it tomorrow morning before class it'll help you recuperate. I do not suggest seeking temporary pain relief through Advil unless you are taking it before you go to bed. Remember to drink a lot of water tonight," she added. "Do you have your water bottles?"

Sora nodded and Argento responded with a hint of a grin. Then she patted Sora's shoulder and left his side.

"And this run satisfied both your cursing and late punishments. You can come straight to class tomorrow," she called finally. Then she was gone.

Sora looked after her in awe. He had not eaten all day. Against Argento's orders, he chugged down the protein shake in a few shorts gulps and wiped whatever was left from his lips. Then he patted his stomach and headed to the grand hall. The chamber was bursting with student activity. But it wasn't from dinner. A few people were still eating, but most were doing homework. Sora wondered what the time was. When he limped to the kitchen and asked if they were still serving, they said that they could make him some left overs and fried eggs. Sora graciously complied.

Instead of dirtying another plate, the staff gave him an old takeaway box with the eggs on the top and the leftovers beneath. Sora asked for a couple water bottles and they gave those to him as well. Then he took everything under his arm and dragged himself towards the summit.

Oddly enough, it was empty when he got there. He thought for sure Kairi and Zell would be skulking around practicing. He needed to copy notes from _someone_ before the day was out.

Sora ate his dinner on the square stoned cliff on the summit's edge. When he looked down, all he saw were clouds and the glimmer of the river. Ahead was another, smaller peak. It looked like there had once been a bridge between it and the summit. Gone now, of course. On the apex ahead, Sora thought he spotted a man in traditional Destiny Islander garb wandering about. The metal of a broadsword shone against his back, and when he turned, two glass circles twinkled like black pearls over his eyes. Sora wondered if he was dreaming the being up until he felt a honey colored hand fall on his shoulder. When he turned around with a yelp, Ventus's eyes met his.

"Sora!" the boy laughed. "I didn't know you liked the summit as well!"

"But," Sora blubbered, glancing to the peak across from the summit again. Ventus sat at his side and looked, too. The mystery man was gone.

"You seeing things, Sora?" asked Ventus. Sora shrugged and asked how class was. Then he asked if he could copy Ventus' notes.

"Sure!" Ventus replied. Then he glanced behind him and whispered to Sora, "Just don't let on to Aqua and Terra."

"Yo, Ven," called a man's voice behind. When Sora swiveled around to see who was talking, he met eyes with a tall, muscular boy with brown spiky hair. Really intense looking. Reminded him of Riku. When Sora waved to him, the boy furrowed his brows.

"Who is this, Ventus?" asked a woman's voice. Sora swiveled around again. This time a lady with startling blue hair the same length as Kairi's headed towards them. Terra hunkered down at Ventus' side while the lady with blue hair sat cross-legged on a displaced stone slab at his back. This must have been Aqua. When Ven slipped his arm around Sora's shoulder and turned towards his friends, he smiled.

"Aqua, Terra, this is Sora, same age and class as me, from…" his brows knitted together as he asked where Sora was from. When Sora responded, Ventus clapped him on the back and shouted, "Destiny Islands!" Aqua and Terra introduced themselves in turn and asked Ventus how class was.

"It was fine," Ventus responded. When he leaned back he crossed his arms over the back of his head. It made Sora grin. They both had the same trademark move. "We did more magic and learned to parry. All stuff I know already."

"You've been practicing with us for too long," Aqua chuckled in return. When she asked Sora how class had gone for him, his face went white and she asked what was wrong. Ventus giggled and cut in for him, "Sora was late to class and had to run. But it's okay, because Argento gave him a stopwatch."

"How did you know about the stopwatch?" Sora asked in disbelief. Ventus let out another nervous giggle and responded that Roxas had told him. His beam returned as he laughed out loud.

"Roxas is crazy about Sora!" he cackled. "Talks about you all the time!"

"Really?" Sora muttered. Ventus nodded and Aqua grinned, adding, "Good things, I hope."

"Uh…" Ventus responded with a snort. "It's mostly getting mad at him for being late."

"Seriously?" Sora responded.

"As long as you get hold of yourself, Sora, it'll all be fine!" Ventus returned. He clapped Sora on the back and the boy grinned. Then a shadow passed over his eyes as he thought about his homework. He really needed to copy it.

"Say, Ventus, about those-" he began, but Ventus picked him up and shooed him towards the hanging lamp lighting the mountain path. As he went, he slipped his notebook under Sora's arm and asked him to return it the next morning. Then he winked, wished Sora luck, and returned to his two friends. Aqua and Terra waved to Sora as he limped away.

When Sora returned to his dorm room Noel was preparing to shower again. Joshua was reading a different book. Neku was jamming to his headphones. Sora swept past all with the stopwatch concealed under his arm. He did not want Joshua to see it.

"What are you hiding under your arm, Sora?" Joshua asked in curiosity. Sora stopped in his tracks and held back the impulse to whimper. When he turned to face Joshua, he sported a forced smile. The boy smiled back and propped himself up in bed with his hand on his cheek. When he pointed with his book to Sora's armpit, the brunette chuckled and tried pitching the stopwatch onto the bed without Joshua catching the movement. It was fruitless.

"Nice stop watch, Sora," Joshua chirped. "Are you going to use it tomorrow morning?"

"Yes," Sora squeaked. He hoped, anyway. Joshua closed his eyes and nodded. "I understand," he sighed. "I let you down yesterday."

"And the day before," muttered Noel with a snort. Now he just seemed to be picking at odd things on his side of the room. All his toiletries were stacked and ready for his shower. Neku snorted from beneath his blanket. Why were they both hanging around?

"My only request is to hear the alarm," Joshua tried. Sora blinked at him in confusion but handed the stopwatch up. Noel stifled a laugh. Neku growled from beneath the blanket. Sora looked on helplessly as the blond boy fiddled with the device until it beeped. It was loud. It made Sora relax. At least it worked.

"This is too loud, Sora," Joshua muttered. "It's going to wake us all up."

"That's the fucking point," growled Neku in a voice muffled by his covers. Sora chuckled through a wince. Joshua narrowed his eyes towards the bed beneath him and threw the stopwatch to Sora. When Sora looked at it, his stomach dropped.

"What did you do, Joshua?" he asked. Joshua threw back his head and laughed. Sora was sure it sounded normal, but it felt maniacal.

"I just turned down the volume a little bit. It was set super early, too, Sora."

"Did you set it later?"

"No, I just turned it down so it wouldn't wake the rest of us up."

"If it doesn't wake us up it definitely won't wake him up," Noel warned. He was staring Sora down from behind. Sora knew it, but could not bring himself to respond. His stomach was starting to hurt again.

"I'm just trying to be helpful, Sora," Joshua cooed. "I know I've let you down recently. But I know how to work a stopwatch. After today, I promise I won't mess with you anymore."

"Okay," Sora sighed. He noticed a glimmer of an eye emerge from under Neku's blanket. Noel stared at him as well. Waiting for his answer. But it was too much for him.

"I think I'll have a shower," he muttered, picking his towel and soap up with downcast eyes. Behind him, Joshua smirked and murmured, "smart," like he had on the first day of school. Sora kept his glance down as he shut the dorm door behind him. For a few moments he stood outside to see if Noel would accompany him to the showers. But even though voices rose from within the room, no one came out.

With a sigh Sora turned and shuffled for the communal bathroom. When he opened the door and stepped inside, his shoulders sagged.

Chaos raged within. A few guys slid around the locker benches horsing around. One was whipping his towel in a circle to see how many butts he could slice. Someone else was turning all the shower faucets cold. The sound of a very jarring, high pitched Pavarotti ballad sailed through the air surrounding while a student at the third mirror from the door carefully coiffed his hair with a fine toothcomb. He had a towel around his shoulders and a small radio playing beside him. When someone tried turning down the volume he rat-tailed him with his towel so bad the offender flew through the air. As the unfortunate boy clutched his buttocks in pain, a pair at the showers discussed possible hazing options for freshmen. When Sora tried glancing around for familiar faces, he found none. Again, "hero academy" was proving exactly like his old junior high.

In dejection Sora heaped his toiletries on one of the benches near the communal and stepped inside, running the water cold so he could hold his aching muscles to it. After scrubbing his hair, arms, and groin, he called it a day. But when he came back to get his bag of clothing, he gasped. It was gone.

"Son of a nutcracker," he muttered, setting his hands on his naked hips. When he glared at the other boys in the room, a few were trying to hide smirks.

"Okay, who took it?" Sora announced. No response. Frustrated, he stamped his foot and shouted that he needed his stuff back. Usually he laughed things like this off. But he had a date to keep tomorrow and he needed to get to bed early so he could wake up for his alarm. Again, the entire locker room ignored him. As he continued blocking the way to the showers, warm breath fell over the hairs on his back. When he turned to see who lurked behind, a pair of hands pushed him forward so that his legs splayed and his back hit against the locker benches below. As Sora cried out in pain and caught the wall nearest him, he met with a pair of sharp yellow eyes. The boy belonging to them sneered down through glowing tan skin and pitch-black hair.

"Freshman." he hissed. "Why are you baring your balls to every guy trying to take a shower? Are you looking for something?"

"I am, as a matter of fact," responded Sora bravely. "Someone stole my toiletry bag and I would like it back."

Before he could say another word the wind was knocked out of him. As Sora blinked up at his attacker in shock, the golden-eyed boy bent naked over him.

"Maybe you shouldn't have left your shit laying around," yellow-eyes hissed. Then he shoved Sora with his foot and told him to leave. When Sora tried looking around for something to cover himself with, the golden-eyed boy advanced on him with a growl. He began to clap his hands. When he held his foot out for another shove, Sora scrambled to his feet and whipped for the sinks, slipping on tile as he went. When he glanced behind he noticed the boy was following him. With a devilish grin the upperclassman growled louder, like an animal. Whenever he got close enough to touch Sora he pulled him by his hair and kicked him, cackling as the boy tumbled. Without knowing what he was doing Sora burst through the door of the shower room and charged down his dorm hall. Gasps of disgust or shock rang around him as he lolloped for his dorm. Luckily he reached the door just as Noel was leaving for the shower himself. When the boy caught sight of Sora's naked body, he swept his hands over his eyes and screeched, "Oh _fuck_ no!" ducking through the hall just as Sora dived into their room. When Sora landed against the carpeted floor and scrambled to his feet, he lunged for the extra towel on his half of the dresser and dived with it beneath the covers of his bed. He could not stop shaking. When he got the courage to glance up, he met eyes with Joshua and Neku.

"What the fuck just happened?" asked the boy with the earphones.

Sora tried explaining. But he was so tired he gave up, slipping the covers over his still toweled head as he tried to fall asleep.


	19. Thrown to the Wolf

"You've got to be kidding me," Sora whined in terror. As he slid down the banister lining the stone steps out of the Academy, he noticed his first year class practicing fencing on the summit across the mountainside. As fast as he could he circled around its path and charged across the bridge to the summit. The closer he got, the more heads turned to look upon him. Soon, the teachers swept their view one by one to take in his ragged form. Rosso grinned upon him with hungry, gleaming eyes. Weiss and Azul smirked. Shelke, Usher, and Nero drew no expression. But when Argento glanced upon him, her eyes filled with disappointment and rage. As Sora stopped at the base of the summit to catch his breath, Rosso roared for the rest of the class to stop looking and resume practice. Sora opened and closed his mouth in breathless apology, pleading to Argento with his eyes. In return she drew forth her broadsword and flung it in the ground. Then she turned on her heel and cocked her head.

"Rosso. Take him," she said. She disappeared amongst the farthest group of fencing students. As her silver tiara relinquished into folds of blades and black clothed bodies, Rosso licked her lips and turned to Sora in surprise. When he met her eyes, he gulped.

She had summoned her blade. When she grinned, her teeth shone sharp.

"Ve vill be practicing in ze valley, today, slime," she snarled. When Sora tried breathing, he gulped.

Well, it had been a decent, albeit short life.

* * *

 **~~~ Hello! This afterthought may come as a surprise to some of you, due to the lack of afterthoughts attached to this story thus far. The two genre and three character tag limit generalizes a story this large so far it becomes unrecognizable. For those wondering where Riku is off to, it should be obvious that he has forsaken poor Sora for the vastly more interesting and talented Xehanort Junior. Hopefully the rest of the story will answer such questions as they come up. In the meantime, please enjoy it! It is slow moving but I will try to make it worth the wait!~~~**


	20. Key blade Assistance

The first thing Sora saw when he awoke were lines of white checkered ceiling panels. It hurt to move. There was fidgeting at his side, as if someone sat near him. With a gasp he swiveled to the left and nearly bust a gut. His abdomen seared. His whole torso dripped with sweat. He glanced up and met with blue eyes under a blond fringe. A sigh came from the owner's mouth. Roxas?

As Sora padded around his stomach Roxas clicked his tongue and glanced through the infirmary window to the forecourt. Class was still going on outside, but no first years were in sight. When Sora tried glancing out as well, he yelped from the pain. Roxas held his shoulder as he helped him lie back down. When Sora resituated himself, his companion grinned wide.

"Why am I here?" Sora croaked.

"Rosso stabbed you in the stomach," the blond chuckled. Sora's gaze focused. Then he noticed the slant of the eyes, the plumpness of the bottom lip, the soft curved nose, and the gentle brows. Ventus, not Roxas. "She is being reprimanded. You could have died."

Sora pursed his lips and thought about it. Funny. He didn't remember it hardly at all. Just the red blade and the wind in the valley. When he scratched his head he winced.

"She also gave you a few concussions," drawled Ventus in return. He clicked his metal-rimmed boots together like magic slippers. As Sora watched he furrowed his brows. Then his mouth dropped.

"Wait, Ventus, if class is still on, why are you here?" he asked. Ventus chuckled and said that he told Argento he had gone to the bathroom. Sora's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"Ventus, you can't just skip!" Sora barked. Despite the pain he sat up and grabbed Ventus' hand. The boy remained expressionless. But he patted Sora's arm and held his palm firmly. When Sora asked when he would be better, Ventus shook his head.

"Not till this evening," he sighed. "They're waiting for the second mega hi-potion to kick in. Then they'll check the wound and go from there."

"What happens if the second one doesn't kick in?" asked Sora.

"Your stomach falls off," Ventus replied.

"Does it always do that?" Sora asked. Ventus responded no, only if you were stabbed in the gut. Sora asked if he could practice walking. Ventus shook his head and told him his stomach was fragile. He did not want his bowels slopping out on his fifth day of school. Sora furrowed his brows. Fifth?

"You missed a day," Ventus replied. "You were in a semi-induced coma."

"Semi-induced?" asked Sora in confusion. Ventus chuckled and replied that a stop spell and then multiple sleep spells had been cast on him to prevent shock. Cure, as well, but that was not what had kept him asleep. As Sora prodded himself in realization that magic had saved his life yet again, he gasped. Then he grabbed Ventus by the arm and beamed.

"Ventus!" he stuttered. "I've got to tell you something!"

Ventus leaned in. If Sora did not know any better, he would have noted discomfort color the boy's movements. Something deep hung behind those long lashes. Ventus glanced to his watch before settling. When he was near enough, Sora cupped his hand around the boy's ear and whispered about the silver bells. Ventus barely held back a snort. When Sora asked what was so funny, the boy shook his head and told him to keep going. With a grin Sora did.

"I am a healer!" he beamed. "Kairi says it's the first step in the hero journey. You become a healer and then move on from there."

"Did she?" Ventus responded weakly. Sora nodded with vigor.

"Yep, she and Zell were talking about it. Shows I have magic proficiency."

"Have you ever seen a key blade, Sora?" blurted Ventus suddenly. Sora blinked in awe and said that he had only seen the teachers summoning light orbs with them on the first day. Ventus asked if Sora had ever seen a key blade up close. Sora shook his head. Then, Ventus glanced around him, stood, extended his hand, and summoned his own in a burst of white light. When the blade materialized completely, he flipped it around and crouched into an offensive possession. He held his blade with the key end down and behind him. It was brown and grey with a camel colored handle. Rudimentary, but light.

"Want to hold it?" Ventus asked. Sora nodded with vigor. This was like his parents bringing him presents when he was in hospital for breaking his arm. Once he got hold of the weapon he tried swishing it around. He nearly let it slip to the ground he was so clumsy. When the key tip clicked against the tile floor Ventus yelped and grabbed his weapon close. When he examined it his lips pursed. He cursed under his breath.

"What's the matter?" Sora asked. He thought he heard Ventus murmur, "it's not glowing." As Sora opened his mouth to ask what that meant, the infirmary doors burst open and Ventus yelped. His mirror image hurried towards them with bright eyes. When Roxas saw Ventus clutching his key blade close, he grinned and asked what happened. Ventus scowled and said Sora nearly dropped his key blade. Then he added that it had not glowed. The color left Roxas' face.

"Are you sure?" he whispered. Sora was beginning to think dull key blades were bad news. Ventus and Roxas argued about it amongst whispers. Footsteps lingered down the hall. Ventus ran his fingers through his hair. Then, Roxas gasped and told him to summon the weapon again.

"This isn't like restarting a computer, Roxas!" Ventus barked. Roxas advanced on him and told him to do it again. With a scowl, the younger did. Then, as he held the key blade to Sora, Roxas gripped the bedridden boy's shoulder hard. "Try holding it again, Sora."

"Maybe it just doesn't _work_ on him," Ventus hissed. Roxas looked hard at him but said nothing. Sora felt as if he were the ragdoll in the middle of a strange tug of war. This was like PTSD from the last time Joshua and Neku fought over waking him up in the morning. In defeat Sora gripped the blade and waited. Roxas clutched his shoulder harder. Sure enough, the tip began to glow. As Roxas grinned, Ventus gritted his teeth.

"You trying to get another one?" the younger twin growled.

"Just wait until the whole thing lights up," Roxas murmured eagerly.

"It'll just pass straight through to you. You can't have two," Ventus whined. Sora glanced from brother to brother in bewilderment. Roxas stood silent as death. The key blade was almost completely lit. Sora felt a warm sensation move through his hand. When he told Roxas what was happening, the boy encouraged him to stay holding. He placed both hands against Sora's shoulders and leaned against his back. His heart beat through his ribs. When Sora felt white light creep around his chest and give him butterflies, voices rang through the hall that made Ventus livid with fear.

"Roxas, if we get caught-" he whined.

"Just a half a second longer," hissed Roxas. The key blade glowed more and more until it was completely white. Then, Roxas let go and the key blade sprinkled what looked like pixie dust around Sora's bed covers. Ventus relinquished his weapon and made it disappear. Then, he sprinted for the window, dove, and spiraled like a top amidst a flurry of wind over the forecourt. Sora watched as the boy sailed through the air towards the summit. The way he pinged back and forth was amazing. He was like a cannonball spinning through the clouds. Must have been more magic.

"Your brother is really talented," Sora whispered. Roxas returned, "I know," in satisfaction. He patted Sora's shoulder just as the infirmary doors opened. When he glanced around, Argento stood with her arms crossed in front of her. Behind her stood Reno and Axel.

"Sora," Argento said coldly. "In an hour you will visit the headmaster's office to discuss your continuation at this academy. Expulsion is on the table, so I suggest you come dressed and prepared with a prompt detailing why you continue to disappoint and what you plan to do to redeem yourself. And Roxas," she added, turning to the blond in tan chaps. "Disciplinary action will be pursued for your absence from class today."

Roxas glanced from Argento to Axel in defiance. The red head grinned and said he thought disciplinary action was a wonderful idea. Then, the three of them departed, leaving Sora confused and Roxas fuming. When Sora asked Roxas what was going on, the boy groaned in aggravation. Then he unfurled a piece of paper from his pocket and slapped it to Sora's chest.

"Do you have a suit?" Roxas demanded. Sora shook his head.

"Do you need a wash?" Roxas added. Sora nodded.

"Do you have a prompt?" Roxas asked. Sora whimpered. Roxas pointed to the paper on his chest.

"There's a prompt," he muttered. "I'll be a witness at the trial, so I've got to prepare myself. Ventus will give you his spare suit when class is done. Your stomach should be better now. I'll get a nurse." Then, he turned on his heel and disappeared from the infirmary, leaving Sora to glance over the prompt on his own.


	21. Expulsion Proceedings

Without any assistance Sora limped to the office of the headmaster of the Land of Departure Key blade Academy. They were missing extra crutches in the infirmary so he had to use a cane to assist himself. Leaning didn't exactly help the pain in his stomach, but apparently the heal time on his broken leg was lagging. Ventus had given him a suit to borrow. It was blue with a cream undershirt and a forest green kerchief. Sora used the kerchief to wipe his nose. When he tried replacing it the way Ventus had, he failed. So it drooped from his breast pocket like a sad dead bird as he knocked on the headmaster's office door.

"Come in," called Eraqus from within. Sora gulped and lunged into the doorframe.

"It opens out, Sora," Eraqus added. As Sora nodded he dabbed sweat from his brow. Then he burst inside.

The office was spacious but utilitarian and sparsely furnished. There was a wide window with a seat and cushions beneath it. Beside that was a square table topped with an elaborate, marble chessboard. Eraqus's desk had a small rose window carved behind it. His chair was large, oaken, and prism like. So was the desk. There was a filing cabinet. On the desk were a computer, an inkwell, a collection of quills, several notebooks, and two trays for paperwork. One read, "complete," and the other "incomplete." Nice organization. Eraqus had a gold colored name holder. When Sora reached out to touch it someone behind him slapped his hand away. When he turned around he noticed it was Roxas. He was dressed in a smart black suit and matching skinny tie. He even had a silver tie clip and cuff links. Axel and Reno were dressed the same save for the fact that Reno's suit was baggy with a zipper instead of buttons. Argento wore her normal attire, including her tiara. When Sora took a complete one eighty around him, he noticed Kairi, Ventus, Aqua, Terra, Hayner, Pence, Joshua, Sota, Wakka, all of the girls from Nao's shack back at Olympus Coliseum, Irvine, Zell, Hercules, and even Rose Wilson and the beanie clad boy who called himself Beat. Even Eraqus was surprised by the amount of people who had stepped forward to speak in Sora's defense.

One by one they went up. Kairi talked about how much of a protector Sora was. Reno brought up that Sora lost his ticket on board the Galactic Federation's ship and was nearly arrested on multiple occasions by the captain. Irvine and Zell described how hardworking Sora was. His illegal racetrack activity on board the Galactic Federation ship was brought up in return. Hayner, Sota, Pence, Wakka, and Nao and company spoke of how resourceful Sora was during hero training. Hercules described Sora's good nature and determination. Beat as well. Rose said Sora was kind and determined. That got a snort from Axel. Joshua described how Sora spent long hours going over homework with him. When asked if that was why he was repeatedly late to class, Sora shrugged. He figured that this white lie was less abrasive than the truth. Ventus, Aqua, and Terra said short pieces about Sora's long hours of practice after class on the summit, verifying that they had seen him there on Tuesday between six and eleven at the least. When it was Roxas' turn, he went into a detailed account of Sora's charitable actions through the entirety of their time together. It surprised Sora how much Roxas had noticed.

When everything was over with, all except Roxas, Axel, Reno, and Argento were dismissed. Sora glanced one last time to the door. Then he redirected his gaze to his headmaster.

"Well, Sora," Eraqus murmured. "Your girth of allies is impressive."

Sora smiled in pride. He shrugged. The group of people huddled around Eraqus remained silent.

"But this girth does not change the fact that you have been consistently late for three days of class, that you were absent for half of Wednesday and the entirety of Thursday, that you streaked down the hall naked on Tuesday night, that you copied notes on multiple occasions, and that you have not yet attended a single of the three clubs you were supposed to sign up for on the first day of class."

"I didn't know about that last part," Sora muttered.

"Your inattention to detail is inspiring," responded Eraqus. Then he clicked a package of paperwork on his lap and handed it to Sora. It was pink. On the top page it read "Expulsion." That was the only word Sora clocked before he started getting dizzy. An echoing voice asked him to fill it out. Instead Sora brought his prompt from his pocket and uncurled it. When Roxas saw it his eyes widened. He tried signaling for Sora to put the prompt back in his pocket, but the boy did not understand.

"Is something wrong with your prompt, Roxas?" Sora blurted out. The whole room glanced to Roxas in surprise. The blond slapped his palm to his head in exasperation. When Eraqus asked Roxas if he had given Sora assistance for this meeting, Roxas snapped that yes, he had.

"I don't think it is fair to surprise a student who has just been disemboweled with an expulsion trial," he hissed. Axel grinned like a Cheshire cat behind him. He seemed to love the outbursts. Reno, too, though not as conspicuously.

"Maybe an expulsion slip is in order for Roxas, too," Axel commented. His palm covered his smile as he feigned wiping his nose. Reno chuckled beside him. Roxas pursed his lips. Argento glanced from one to the other with narrowed eyes.

"That is unnecessary," responded Eraqus. Then he redirected his attention to Sora. "The three of you shall decide if Sora is worthy to remain at the school. Because you offered assistance, Roxas, your statement is redacted."

Roxas curled his head in defeat. Eraqus asked if Axel or Reno wanted to say whether Sora was worthy in private. They shook their heads. Axel came right out that he did not think Sora had what it took. When Eraqus turned to Reno, the red head bit his lip and asked for Sora's statement. Sora handed it to him. When he read it over, he chuckled and nodded. Sora beamed. The last to decide was Argento. Just as she was about to open her mouth, the office door burst open and Rosso walked in. When asked why she was there, she stated that as Sora's instructor, she had a right to decide if he stayed or not.

"I am head instructor," Argento replied swiftly. Rosso laughed.

"Do you not remember what you said Vednesday?" she boomed. ""Take him," you said, and I did." Then she stood proudly and hissed for Sora's expulsion. When Argento objected, Rosso informed Eraqus that Argento had shown favor to Sora by giving him a stopwatch and protein shakes on Tuesday night. Eraqus decided to discount both of their statements.

"As it stands, we have a statement of support from Reno and a statement of descent from Axel. Equal numbers of students came forward to dissent as did support as well."

"What students dissented?" snapped Roxas. Axel snickered with glee behind him. Sora thought he saw the red head tap the blonde's foot with his dress shoe. Perhaps it was an accident.

"They shall remain unnamed," responded Eraqus. He turned to Sora again. "As headmaster I shall act as final word in this trial. Due to all factors previously considered I hereby expel Sora Nomura from-" as he tried to tap the gavel he had extricated from his front desk drawer, a loud knock rapped the office door. A young woman's voice followed it.

"Excuse me," shouted Kairi from outside. "I want to talk to headmaster Eraqus right now."

"We are in the middle of a trial," responded Eraqus. Outside Kairi stomped her foot.

"I don't care what's going on in there," she snapped. "If Sora's being expelled, then I'll go as well!"

The whole room fell dumb. Upon request Roxas opened the door for Kairi. She stormed in in her beach clogs, black leggings, and a purple flower tank. For a moment she stood awkwardly at the door. When Eraqus asked why she wanted to leave the academy, she said that wherever Sora went, she did too.

"Kairi," Sora whined in embarrassment. But she stepped ahead of him anyway. She even slammed her fists on Eraqus's desk.

"What you all did to Sora was horrible!" she blubbered. "And I won't stand for it!" Then she banged her fist and added, "and I don't want to stick around if he's not here."

"Are you saying that you are quitting the academy?" asked Reno in confusion. Axel pursed his lips. When Eraqus took another expulsion slip from his desk, the longhaired twin bent close and whispered in his ear. Eraqus's eyes widened. He glanced at Kairi again. Then he put the second expulsion paper away and rubbed his sinuses.

"In the interest of retaining a stellar student," sighed the headmaster; "we shall keep Sora on probation for a month. If he does not prove himself within this time, he shall be expelled. Agreeing to these terms, Kairi, means that should he go, you stay."

"But," Kairi began. Eraqus silenced her with an outstretched hand. Then he turned to Roxas. "For assisting a student in expulsion proceedings, you shall be placed on a month's probation as well." When Axel asked if he could decide the terms of probation, Eraqus nodded. Rosso asked if Argento would be put on probation. Eraqus affirmed it, adding that Rosso would be on a month's probation as well. In their absence, Azul, Shelke, Nero, or Weiss would act as head instructor for the first years.

"Or Reno, if he so chooses," Eraqus added. Reno responded that he was very busy with Shinra. Then he glanced to Sora. "But tell me the duties and I'll see if I can abide them." He added that if he took the job, he wanted the names of Sora's supporters and substractors. Eraqus agreed, and with that, the trial was brought to a close. As everyone stood to go, Sora thanked Eraqus for naming him a stellar student.

"I was not talking about you," responded Eraqus in confusion. Kairi blinked in surprise.

"Sora," she said. "He was talking about me."

"He couldn't have been!" Sora gasped. "Kairi, you're just a girl!"

For the first time in his life, Sora got the feeling that it was time to shut up. Every single head in the room turned to glare or ogle at him. Rosso, Roxas, and Argento looked ready to kill. Kairi deflated. Axel and Reno held back laughter. Eraqus rubbed his head and dismissed them all.

As Sora tried following Kairi down the hall to apologize to her, she turned and whipped his outstretched arm away. When he asked what was wrong with her, she scoffed.

"Riku was right to recommend you for expulsion," she snapped. "Turns out you're a real pig." Then she swiveled on her heel and left him in the dust. When he moved again, he met with a bright red heel and tumbled to the ground.

Rosso hissed as she stepped over him, snarling a mocking apology as she went. When Sora glanced up again, Argento met his gaze. Sora tried to say something to her. But she but she shook her head and disappeared.

Once everyone had given him a look of pity, revenge, or disgust, he was left lying in the hall on his own. Only then did he realize he had left his walking stick astride the chair in Eraqus's office.

"Son of a nutcracker," he groaned. Then he lied on the carpeted ground and stared out the hallway's rose window until someone wandered up to get him.


	22. Help from Roxas

All through Saturday Sora sat in his dorm and sulked. No one visited him, either. He figured it had something to do with what he had said about Kairi, but he could not be sure. He did not get it. Everyone else did that sort of thing all the time. Riku, Nimo, Zell. Of course, they never _vocalized_ it, but the meaning was clear. Every time they shielded her, or held her back, or went easy on her. Honestly, what bothered him the most was not even Kairi. It was what she had said. That everyone thought she was more of a hero than he was. And that Riku had supported Sora's expulsion.

Just when Sora really began feeling sorry for himself, a knock came on his dorm door. When he asked who it was, Roxas's voice responded.

"Sora, get out of there," the boy growled. Sora sniffed and rolled over on his bed. Then he shouted, "Make me."

"Open this door or you will lose the last friend you have at this school," responded Roxas. Sora sniffed louder. Friend? In a huff he slumped off his covers and unlocked the door. The minute he flipped the twist the portal burst open. Roxas shoved in after. Sora tumbled to the ground. The minute Roxas caught sight of his prey he swept him up and kicked him out the door with his heel.

"Roxas, what was that for?" Sora whined. Roxas slapped him in the back of the head and told him to move. Sora said he was in his pajamas and bare feet. Roxas chucked him his yellow sneakers and told him to keep going. They walked together like master and servant until they crossed the dorms and headed for the stairs to the library. Once they were inside, Roxas displayed the study tables and gave Sora a form to fill out. Then he disappeared. When Sora looked down at the paper he groaned.

His probation schedule. There were four free slots for clubs he had yet to choose. The only other differences from his regular schedule were the weekly conference hours he was forced to attend with his probation officer. When he peeked down the page to see who that officer was, his shoulders sagged. Axel. He had voted for Sora's expulsion. When he glanced to his homeroom teacher he smiled. Reno. He had voted for Sora to stay. Before Sora could find a pen to fill the paper out, a set of tan hands slammed a pile of books at his side and made him yelp. Every head in the library turned to look at him. Sora gulped and hid. Roxas sat down beside him with a pencil behind his ear. Once the pencil was in his hand he gave it to Sora. Then he took a crumpled sheet of paper from his pocket and commanded Sora to circle the clubs that he told him to.

"Solo Performance Club."

"Kendo looks cool."

"Solo Performance Club."

"Ooh, I need to work on my fencing!"

"SOLO. PERFORMANCE. CLUB."

When Sora tried filling in Fencing with a pen, Roxas slapped him on the head and circled Solo Performance instead. Then he told Sora to circle Earth Club.

"Aw, come on…" Sora groaned. Roxas slapped him and circled Earth Club.

"Poetry Club." Roxas continued. Sora murmured that these were the pansiest clubs in the school. Roxas commanded him to shut up. This time Sora circled the club himself. Lastly, Roxas told him to circle LGBTQ Club. Sora looked at him like he was crazy.

"What?" Roxas snapped defensively. "You got something against queers, too?"

"What's queer?" asked Sora, glancing around to see what Roxas was talking about. Then he tried working out the acronym in his head. Sounded like a sandwich. Lettuce, garlic, bacon, tomatoes… quinoa?

"Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, queer," intoned Roxas. "Didn't they have a club like that in Destiny Islands?"

"No," responded Sora. Then he scratched his head. "Oh! There was something called 'Two-One' or something for men who dressed up as women. And if you were part of the 'dick lickers' club in junior high it meant you were seriously uncool and a pansy."

"Fuck," muttered Roxas. Then he grinned. "Well! Here's your chance to wipe that ignorance away." Then he circled LGBTQ for Sora. When Sora glanced over his clubs of "choice" he nearly died. Earth Club, Solo Performance Club, Poetry Club, and Two-One Central. If it wasn't worth being a hero before, it definitely wasn't now.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Sora muttered. Roxas grinned and pumped him in the back.

"It'll be fine," the blond sighed. "These are all clubs I or people I know are involved in. They'll look after you." Sora just groaned louder and beat his head against his study table. As he bashed his face Roxas slipped his probation schedule from his hands and told him the details.

"So as the schedule stands, 6 to 8 is morning warm up, 8 to 9 is breakfast, 9 to 12 is class, 12 to 1 is lunch, 1 to 4 is class, 4 to 6 is club, 6 to 7 is dinner, and 7 to 8 on Tuesdays and Thursdays is probation officer meeting. Got it?"

"I don't like the sound of this," muttered Sora. Roxas ignored him.

"And 7 to 11 is homework time," Roxas added with a grin. Sora's mouth dropped.

"Homework time?" he screeched. "For four hours? I'll only get six hours sleep a night!"

"Welcome to the world of a hero!" responded Roxas. He told Sora to sign his signature on the dotted line at the bottom of the page. Sora did so begrudgingly, kicking himself for letting Joshua push him around the first few days of school. When he was finished signing, Roxas took the paper from him. Then he placed the book at the top of the pile in Sora's lap and told him to start reading.

With Roxas gone Sora sat in his flannel pajamas staring at the first page. It read "Magic Wielding for Beginners," written by "Master Invi," whoever that was. Sora flipped to the table of contents and read through it.

 _"_ _1\. Summoning Magic 2. Saving Magic 3. Fire 4. Blizzard 5. Cure 6. Thunder 7. Gravity 8. Stop 9. Aero 10. Summoning 11. Ethers 12. Elixirs 13. Developing Magical Abilities 14. Acquiring Magical Accessories 15. Engaging Limits."_

Sora decided to flip to chapter fourteen. The first paragraph was introductory.

 _"_ _On the hero quest to transform key blade master, the student shall no doubt come to acquaintance with vast swaths of treasure concealed from the layman's eye. The spiritual nature of the key blade is, not with standing its namesake, the thread that binds us to these treasures. Any key blade hopeful can stumble across a Chaos Ring through luck or even purchase from wily street vendors. But to utilize it, and to utilize it well, takes not only a strong heart. Essential, is a strong will, and a strong wit sharpened through scholarship."_

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," muttered Sora, slamming the book shut and shoving it into the rest of the pile. He crossed his arms over his flannel just as Roxas scooted beside him with a pair of notebooks. In his other arm he held a plastic bag. When he tipped it upside down a pile of highlighters, mechanical pencils, lead, plastic erasers, sticky notes, dividing tabs, pens, and correction fluid tumbled out. Sora glanced over them in awe. Roxas held up the mechanical pencils.

"Blue or green?" he asked. Sora took the blue one. Roxas divided the rest of the items in half and gave a portion to Sora. Then he pulled out an alarm clock and a bag of orange earplugs and shoved them forward as well. When Sora asked how he could repay him, Roxas told him to take him on a dinner date once he summoned his key blade for the first time.

"Summon my what?" asked Sora.

"Never mind," responded Roxas. He had taken Sora's notebook to paste dividers amongst its pages. After finishing that he shifted through the backpack Sora had not known was there and pulled out a stack of printed notes and cement glue. When he was ready he pushed the printed notes to Sora and told him to paste them at each divider, and on the notebook front and back covers. Sora grumbled but complied. When he peeked over he noticed Roxas doing the same in his own notebook. He seemed rather excited. Once they were done Roxas passed Sora an agenda.

"This is to keep you on schedule," he explained, tapping the agenda's surface. Sora's shoulders fell progressively lower as the onslaught continued. But Roxas would not quit. Once all labeling was complete, he had Sora open the magic textbook and instructed him on how to take Cornell notes. This went on for what seemed like decades. Every five minutes Sora asked if they were done yet. But Roxas refused to grant him release until he reached chapter six. Eighty pages. It was horrific. After that Roxas got Sora his library card. The stack of library books Roxas had left at Sora's side to begin with was checked out. Then Roxas and Sora carried his new things back to his dorm. When Sora asked if the backpack was his as well, Roxas scoffed "no." Once they got to Sora's door, Roxas told him to get his clothes on. They would practice fighting on the summit.

"I'll be waiting," Roxas added, as Sora shuffled into his dorm with a grimace. Once inside he trudged to his bed and plopped on. Only too late did he notice Joshua lying across the way reading a new book. _Boredom_ by Alberto Moravia. Appropriate. When Joshua caught sight of Sora he slipped the novel under his pillow and smiled.

"Sora! I see you have a bag of goodies," he chirped. Sora gave a weak chuckle as he stuffed the items beneath his bed. There was a creak behind him. Joshua draped his head across Sora's shoulder.

"What did you get?" he asked. "Who gave it to you?"

"Just some school stuff," Sora responded. When Joshua bent down to see what was in the plastic bag Sora yelped and scrambled the sack in his arms. Then he sat with it on his bed. A knock wrapped on the door.

"Sora, are you ready yet?" Roxas asked. Joshua and Sora shared a glance. Joshua's eyebrows rose. Then he grinned.

"Have you been studying with Roxas?" the boy chirped. Sora shrugged. Less study, more torture by word. But he would not say that out loud. Joshua patted him on the head.

"That is so cute," the boy cooed. "Useful guy to spark the interest of."

"Hm," Sora responded. He rummaged around his bed covers to see if he had an extra pencil case. Seemed he had only brought swimming equipment and underwear with him from Destiny Islands.

"Do you need a pencil case, Sora?" Joshua asked. Before Sora could respond the boy opened his desk and brought out a grubby canvas purse. Then he made Sora a book strap with one of his belts. Roxas knocked on the door again. Joshua grinned.

"Better not leave your bf waiting!" he chirped. When Sora asked him what a "bf" was, Joshua climbed back in bed and reopened his book.

"Sora, we need to practice," called Roxas outside. Sora grunted and changed from of his pajamas to his sleeveless pumpkin pant romper. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Joshua give him a tragic look. When he opened his dorm door Roxas bequeathed him the same.

"That romper is tragic," Roxas sighed. Sora shrugged and pushed past him for the stairs. When he got there he hoisted his leg over the banister and slid to the front door. A few students were sitting in the forecourt reading or chatting. As Roxas and Sora passed them by the blond sighed.

"Too bad there's no such thing as autumn in The Land of Departure," he murmured. "I went to Twilight Town last year and saw the seasons change."

"Is that where you live?" Sora asked. "Wait, if Ventus lives in the Land of Departure-"

"Sorry, I meant that Hayner was talking about it," Roxas muttered. "I wonder how he is coping."

"Haven't you talked to him?" asked Sora. Roxas shook his head and responded, "not since hero camp." Now they were making their way down the spiraling mountain path. Sora was about to use his new notebook to slide down the railing when Roxas stopped him and told him to walk. It took fifteen minutes for them to reach the stone bridge to the summit. When they got there Roxas taught Sora how to meditate. He had the boy stretch, warm up, and sit cross-legged for an hour while he fed him guiding thoughts. Whenever Sora whined Roxas kicked him in the leg. When Sora started nodding off, Roxas swept him up and placed a wooden sword in his hand. It was just like the ones he and Riku used back home. Sora grinned as he swished it back and forth.

"That belongs to Ventus," Roxas explained. "He used it before he could summon a key blade."

When Sora grinned wider Roxas told him to parry while he attacked. They practiced basic offensive and defensive positions for two hours. To round it off, Roxas and Sora did an hour-long concentration exercise. Then Sora practiced with the big golden rings along the widest section of the mountain path. More students were studying at the stone tables nearby. Upperclassmen. They looked on Sora and Roxas in amused curiosity as they practiced but did not interfere. After warming down, Roxas and Sora returned for dinner. As they made their way from the mountain path to the stone bridge leading to the forecourt, Roxas asked Sora if he had ever been to the mangrove forests in the valley. Sora shook his head.

"They're beautiful," Roxas sighed, indicating the valley they nestled within with his outstretched hand. When Sora peeked over the edge of the stone bridge all he saw was mist over twinkling teal. Past all the rubber and mahogany, Roxas explained, deep down amongst the bowels of the river and marshes, were mangroves with long roots that crept beneath the water.

"It's so clear down there," he sighed, "you can peak into the darkness amongst the roots. It makes your heart beat fast. Like something's gonna slither out after you."

"I don't know if I'd like that," responded Sora. Roxas threw his head back and laughed. Then he sighed in memory. "Ventus and I used to go together. It was fun." Then he kicked a spare stone over the bridge edge and pointed his nose towards the forecourt. Below, the stone disappeared through the mist with barely a whisper. The pair crawled up the spiral path again. Sora began huffing as the altitude increased.

"You hang out with Ventus and his gang much?" he asked. Roxas muttered "no." When Sora asked why not Roxas shrugged and checked his watch. Then he told Sora that the Earth Club was having what they called a "meet and eat," where they cooked fresh veggies from the school garden and served them. Sora groaned and asked if Roxas was in Earth Club. Roxas shook his head before adding, "but Ventus is in it!" Then he patted Sora on the shoulder and brought him to the school garden. It was at the foot of the school's back, a pleasant maze of flowering and woody plants sheared into a variety of intriguing poses, nestled into a wide dent in the mountainside. Spiraling below its base was the path leading to the summit. Amongst the shrub sculptures were a gladiator, a unicorn, a wildcat, a bear, a fox, a cobra, a goat, a cat with a swollen head, a creature with a pom-pom sticking from its face, a sword, a shield, and then some. Sora went around touching them as Roxas searched for the white washed woven archway inside. He signaled for Sora to follow him. White fold up tables and chairs were spread within. When Sora peeked his head around he noticed everyone eating from ceramic plates with metal silverware and glass cups. Instead of napkins the club sponsors handed out cloths. A banner reading "Love Our Land" hung over the grills.

The leader of the occasion was a man with long, fluffy pink hair tied in a bun. He wore the standard black suit and tie uniform that Sora had seen on Axel and Roxas, minus the suit jacket. The sleeves of his white dress shirt were rolled up to his elbows, and his tie was loosened. He padded beads of sweat from his forehead with a kerchief as he grilled sweet potatoes, corn, and some sort of squash. Students filed around him making salads and filling plates for guests. Every single member bar the professor was female. And most of them appeared to be singing.

Sora turned to Roxas for moral support. But the boy was nowhere to be found. As he looked helplessly for his companion, something jabbed him in the back. When he turned, a fellow first year named Yuffie greeted him. Sora smiled.

"Boy, am I glad to see a familiar face," he breathed. Sora asked if this was the Earth Club. Yuffie nodded and pointed to the man in the suit. "That's Professor Marluxia," she explained. "He's the supervisor. Lunafreya and Sice are the president and vice president, Stella is treasurer, Serah is historian, Rem is secretary, Rapunzel is public relations, Queen is design, and Vanille is fundraising. The rest of us are brand new."

"Sice?" Sora murmured. He knew he had heard that name before. Yuffie nodded and pointed to a girl with hair the lightest silver Sora had ever seen. Her ponytail jutted from her scalp in a halo of spikes. As she moved to the grill beside the professor with the pink bun, she glanced towards him and smiled. Her eyes glowed teal.

"Riku?" Sora gasped. At the sound of the name the girl jolted. As she turned, Sora stalked towards her. He remembered, now. But before he could reach her side, she tugged on the professor's arm. When Marluxia caught sight of Sora he grinned, settled his spatula against the grill side, and walked towards him with his arms out. Sora tried catching Sice over his shoulder, but when he looked she was gone. Professor Marluxia gave him a half hug, half pat on the back. Then he took Sora by the shoulders and glanced him up and down.

"Well, well, well!" he murmured. "Our second male member!" Then he asked Sora how his first week of school had gone. Sora shrugged and muttered that it had been transformative. Marluxia chuckled. Then he clapped his hands and asked if everyone had gotten a plate of food. When Sora's stomach grumbled in reply, Marluxia said he would fix him something. As everyone seated themselves, one last wanderer filed into the maze. When Sora caught sight of him he nearly rocketed from his seat. Irvine.

"Irvine!" Sora beamed, remembering the pair's times aboard the Galactic Federation Vessel with joy. Irvine seemed to remember as well, because when he saw Sora he boomed laughter and swept the younger boy into a bear hug. The female earth club members looked on with curious blushes. When Irvine and Sora separated Sora asked Irvine where he was sitting. Irvine shrugged and responded, "Wherever the beautiful ladies lie." Immediately after, he found his catch at a fold out table on the far side of the garden. With gusto he marched over and asked if there was a free seat for a lonely sharpshooter. The ladies giggled and let him sit down. When Sora asked if there was a free seat for him as well he did not receive as warm a response. Sora glanced around for a different table. He saw Olette sitting at one, but when he waved, she gave him the stink eye. Kairi must have told her what he said. From across the lawn, Yuffie waved for him to sit beside her and a girl with a massive auburn braid. When he did, they glanced towards the officer table together. Professor Marluxia clapped his hands and told everyone to take a seat. As he introduced the first of the officers, Aerith held her hand out for Sora to shake and asked his name. When he responded she gave him hers and asked how many earth club meetings he had been to so far.

"None," responded Yuffie for him. Aerith asked why not. Sora murmured that he had forgotten to sign up. Aerith's brows furrowed in confusion as Yuffie snorted.

After the officers spoke, Marluxia had each table go around and introduce themselves one by one. The first person to stand was Irvine. "Irvine Kinneas, Galbadia Gardens," he boomed with a bow. "Sharpshooter extraordinaire." Everyone clapped. Marluxia moved to the next table.

When Sora glanced around again he noticed Ventus. He was sitting at a far table beside a black haired girl with skin as white as snow. Beside her sat the girl with pale green hair Sora had seen at first day orientation, and next to her sat another green haired girl and a brunette with a butterfly necklace. The black haired girl giggled as Ventus whispered in her ear. When it was her turn to introduce herself she said that her name was Snow White, that she was a princess, and that she came from somewhere called "Dwarf Woodlands." Ventus said he was from the Land of Departure. He joked that he was a princess, too. That got a laugh. The girl with the pale green hair stood and said her name was Terra. As she commented where she was from, Sora examined Sice, the vice president. She sat beside Professor Marluxia at the officer table. Sora had not heard where she was from.

"Where is that one from?" he asked Yuffie. When Yuffie furrowed her brows, Sora pointed to Sice. Aerith swept down his hand. When he asked her, she murmured that she did not know. "Somewhere far away," she commented. When Sora asked for her last name, Aerith said that it was Miyano. Sora flew his hand to his mouth. Riku's last name.

Yuffie poked Sora in the shoulder and made him jump. She whispered for him to stand up and he did, knocking his plate of garden veggies over in the process. When he asked what he was standing for, Professor Marluxia told him to introduce himself.

"My name is Sora," he started. "I'm from Destiny Islands."

Sice's eyes widened in surprise. Sora grinned.

"Now that we all know who is who," Professor Marluxia continued, "let's play a game! Everyone line up in order of your home world's distance from the Land of Departure! Let's see if we can get below twenty seconds!"

Sora was the first to jump up. As soon as he could he made a beeline for Sice. They would no doubt be the last pair in line. They would have a great deal to talk about.

* * *

 **Afterthought 2:**

 **Hello! Things should really _really_ start kicking off with this chapter in terms of Sora's development. I always remember playing Kingdom Hearts 1 and rolling my eyes at how many damsel in distress characters there were. Until Aqua, it seemed being a hero was a "guy's job," and that his female companion's role was one of spiritual guidance. Destiny Islands always seemed like a kid's paradise where things just "were," and where difficult stuff like civil rights issues would have gone way over the heads of everyone except for Riku and KH2 Kairi. In this AU, at a school for the most talented kids in the galaxy, Sora's ignorance and gullibility mean he'll have to learn a lot of hard lessons fast. Hopefully things will start getting more interesting. **

**Drama is coming! I promise! Stick around for midterms!**


	23. Vanitas

_"_ _Sice, Sice!"_

 _"_ _Who are you?"_

 _"_ _You're Riku's sister, aren't you?"_

 _"_ _I don't know who the hell you're talking about."_

 _"_ _But I know you're his sister because he showed me the let-"_

 _"_ _Do you like irritating people? Try wiping the squash off your face. You won't look like such an insufferable shit when you try bothering someone else."_

Definitely Riku's sister. The mannerisms, the fixation on sophisticated poop inspired insults, the cursing, the coloring, everything. It was she, all right. And boy was Sora excited to see what Riku would say to her once he found out his sister went to the same academy as him.

"I am expecting a tear filled bro-sis reunion," Sora garbled through a hamburger. He and Sota, a friend from hero training in Olympus Coliseum, sat on the patio of a valley burger joint near where they'd eaten on their first day at the academy. Now that Sora really looked around, he noticed the swaths of rubber and mangrove trees Roxas had talked about before. The rubber canopies loomed across the balcony their table sat upon, while mangrove roots lingered in the river beneath. A big whiskered fish twisted around the wide wooden legs anchoring the patio balcony over the water. Sora crumpled a piece of bread from his burger bun and pinged it in after it. The fish snapped it up and waited for more. Sora shouted for it to go away. Then he took another bite from his burger and grinned. The parasol over their table protected the pair from the oppressive midday sun. Down in the valley the heat was almost unbearable. Sota had discarded his black denim vest long ago. Now he sat with his pant legs rolled up to his knees and his white undershirt pulled up to his nipples. Sora's pumpkin pant romper looked rather sour as well. The pant section had collapsed and the ends were grubby and frayed with sweat. His zipper was open to his navel, and his stomach pooched out in plain sight with a newly conceived food baby.

"That can't go down well, man," Sota sighed. When Sora asked why not, the boy shrugged.

"Did Riku ever once talk about his sister in our time together?" he grumbled. Sora shook his head.

"And Sice said she didn't know him," Sota continued. Sora snorted and said he was sure she was lying.

"Even better," responded Sota. "If she's lying it means she doesn't want to see him. I don't know what beef there is between them, but you can't just bust in and tell on her. That should be her job."

"But she sent Riku a letter saying she was leaving to catch a wave!" snapped Sora.

"Yeah, to catch a wave she didn't want Riku being a part of!" Sota fired back. Then he sighed and rubbed the salt from his eyes. "I just don't think this is a confession for you to make."

"Even if this is the confession that makes Riku and I friends again?" chirped Sora in response. Sota's returning silence was encouraging for some reason. As Sora picked off the remainder of his fries, Sota grimaced.

"Yeah, about that…" the boy muttered. When Sora looked up, Sota opened his mouth like he was going to say something. Then he shook his head and muttered, "never mind."

"What," goaded Sora. Sota scowled.

"See, here's the thing," muttered the gyaruo. He tapped his forefinger to his lips in thought. Then he continued, "When I was in junior high, I was friends with this kid named Tatsuo. When he didn't want to hang out with me anymore I tried doing all this crazy stuff to get him to stay my friend. Eventually I found out it was useless."

"To be his friend?" Sora gasped. Sota nodded.

"He didn't want to be friends with me anymore," he explained. "I even stole this thing that he wanted to impress him."

"But I'm not stealing anything!" Sora replied incredulously. "I'm giving Riku information he needs!"

"But you _are_ stealing, Sora!" Sota barked. "You're stealing Sice's choice to reveal herself to Riku! That's her job, not yours!"

"Riku will understand!" Sora snapped through a fry. Sota gave up with surrendered hands. As a final argument he muttered that Sora was too impulsive. Sora responded that impulsivity got him what he wanted ninety percent of the time. Sota shrugged. A waiter came around and asked if they were finished with their food.

"I'm done," responded Sota. When he asked if Sora was finished, the boy heaped his remaining fries on a napkin and pushed over the plate.

"You know we have 'to go' boxes, right?" the waiter said. Sora decided to take one. He and Sota brandished their hero academy ids. The waiter swiped their cards and printed their receipts. Then the boys left along the path by the river. As they walked Sora skipped stones and asked how Sota's girlfriend Nao was doing. Sota chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.

"She's learning," he said. "There's not really anything to see, yet. We're learning sword fighting and magic without the weapons or know how to utilize them. We all understand the lessons. I'm just worried about some of the professors singling her out."

"Why would they single her out?" asked Sora.

"Because she looks different," responded Sota. "And not in the "good" way. Honestly, you fucking up the first week proved a real blessing because the spotlight wasn't on Nao."

"How could anyone want to hurt Nao?" barked Sora in confusion. Nao was one of the nicest girls he had ever met. Sota shook his head in bitterness.

"Sora, we've been dealing with this shit forever," he explained. "People don't like ganguro."

"Well that's ridiculous!" snapped Sora in response, shoving another fry in his mouth. He finished them just as the twin peaks hugging the Academy rose beyond the forest edge. Sora could see the ant like silhouettes of children practicing on the summit, beyond the white stone bridge. Apparently far in one of the south jungles there was a square half pyramid temple dedicated to the old gods of the Land of Departure. The bricks were the same stone as those on the white bridge and the summit edge. Roxas had told Sora about them yesterday as they practiced with the wooden swords. When Sora thought about class his stomach dropped in fear. He did not want to face Rosso tomorrow. He half hoped Roxas would walk by his dorm to wake him up in the morning just to make sure he got out on time. Okay, more than half.

"You planning on waking up on time tomorrow?" Sota asked. Sora laughed nervously. "I have to," he sighed. "Or this chicken is out of town."

"That's too bad," Sota joked in reply. "We'll all have to work twice as hard, now."

"I just hope I don't get disemboweled again," Sora gulped. Sota asked to see the scar, so Sora slipped off the top of his romper so that the armbands slid around his knees. Then he unzipped just past his navel. There was a long, shiny purple indentation spanning the edges of his bottom most ribs. When Sota saw it his lips curled down as his nostrils flared.

"Fuck," he muttered. Then he asked if he could touch it. Sora shrugged in satisfaction. When Sota ran his hand over the scar, a chill went through him. He yelped as he jumped back and giggled in revolted delight.

"Fuck, man, its like, _grizzle_ ," he barked. "It's like a leather drum."

"I've been given potion cream to spread on it every day," Sora sighed. "After all the stop and cure spells they said the wound kind of grew stiff, so it'll take a while for the skin to get back to normal."

"It's cool, though," muttered Sota. "It's like you're invulnerable right there."

Sora peered down at his stomach in satisfaction. Then he conceded that he guessed he was pretty badass now. Ahead there was a cry of contempt. When Sota and Sora peered forward, the dark visage of a boy with bronze skin and jet-black hair styled the same as Sora's greeted them. His yellow eyes looked on their belly exchange with glee. It was the upperclassman who had hazed Sora into streaking down the hall on his second night of school.

"Have I walked in on a special butt buddy meeting?" he drawled. Sota and Sora glanced to one another. Sota was still prodding Sora's bare stomach with his mouth wide open, and Sora still had his pelvis leaned forward with half his romper around his ankles. Immediately the pair charged away from each other. Then, Sota puffed out his chest and walked towards the dark haired boy with chin held high.

"Sora was showing me a mean scar he got from one of the teachers, Vanitas," he hissed. "Maybe if you weren't so busy finding insult in people you would have realized what we were talking about."

"I'd be careful with Sora," Vanitas sneered in reply. "He has a fetish for exhibitionism."

"What?" Sota sighed in exasperation. Vanitas cackled.

"He happens to be in the gay club at school, and he walks around the locker room showers naked, blocking the entrance for everyone trying to wash themselves. And now this?" he clicked his tongue in derision.

"That time someone stole my clothes!" snapped Sora. "And I bet it was you!"

"Why would it be me, termite?" jeered Vanitas. "I had just gotten into the shower."

"Yeah, and you were probably hiding my clothes before you went in!" roared Sora in reply. With gusto he slipped the sleeves of his romper over his shoulders and zipped up to his neck. Then he tied his short sleeve sweater around his waist and slipped into a defensive stance. When Sota saw what he was doing, his eyes widened.

"Sora, what are you doing?" he snapped. Then he turned to Vanitas with a grim expression. "Think what you want about us, but stop bothering us," he said. "We don't want any trouble."

"You mean Sora doesn't want any trouble," Vanitas returned. "How long's your probation, by the way?"

Sora gasped. How did Vanitas know that he was on probation? That was supposed to be classified information. Had someone told him? Or was it that obvious?

"You're pitiful enough as it is," Vanitas laughed. Then he stepped to the side and bowed. "Your carriage awaits, princesses." Then he turned and walked. Sota and Sora glanced towards one another. Then they followed him. Sota quickly caught up and moved past him. But Sora had to jog to keep up. When he swept past Vanitas' shoulder the boy cocked his head to the side and feigned thinking. Then he pursed his lips.

"Hm. I've changed my mind." He sighed. When Sora responded, "what?" Vanitas swept around in a circle and high kicked him in the spine, making him cry out as his stomach heaved him to the other side of the road.

"Sora!" Sota screeched ahead. Sora lay on the dirt roadside in agony, wondering if his spine was broken. Pain radiated through his abdomen. As the coloring left his face, he rolled to the side and threw up his fries and hamburger in the grass. Vanitas burst into laughter as he sauntered towards him. When the golden-eyed boy was close enough to kick him again, Sota roared for him to leave Sora alone. Just as Vanitas turned to face him, Sota dug in his pocket and launched what looked like a pin from his left hand. It sailed through the air and pressed right above the bridge of Vanitas's nose. Once it had rotated off the skin, a blinding white light sizzled from its center and knocked Vanitas off his feet into an opposite tree. As the upperclassman groaned and rubbed his forehead, Sota grabbed the pin sailing through the air and looked at it in stupefied wonder. Then, regaining his composure, he charged back to Sora and asked if the boy was okay.

"My back," Sora sobbed. Sota wrenched his hair and pulled the pin from his pocket again. "Cure him!" he shouted at it. But the pin lay motionless against his palm.

"You motherfuckers!" Vanitas roared, staggering to a standing position. From his right hand he summoned a strange, double eyed blade with chains crossed around its gilded steel center. "Cure!" he hollered. But as he pointed the key blade above his head he stumbled and aimed at Sora instead. As the bells and ribbon descended over the injured boy's torso, Sora felt his spine heal and his nausea disappear. With a cry of delight he leapt to his feet and swept Sota into a hug. The other boy looked on in shock as Sora grabbed his hand and led him forward.

"Let's get out of here!" the younger cried. Behind them Vanitas slashed his key blade back and forth through the clearing, howling and aiming black gusts of fire at the trees surrounding. As he roared for Sora and Sota to come back and fight him like men, Sota called that they would schedule a comeback when Vanitas learned to use magic properly. Then Sota winked at Sora and charged faster, guffawing as he led the boy to the white stone path. They hopped the granite steps two at a time until they came to the summit bridge. Then, they began their ascent around the spiral mountain path leading to the academy, the cries of Vanitas still ringing in their ears.

* * *

 **For those who are wondering who Sota and Nao are, they are from TWEWY. I like the tragic mentor role they play in that game and wanted to put that in here as well. Hope you like Vanitas. He's a nasty. Keep reading! Things really pick up from here.**


	24. Belly of the Beast

"Fuck, Sota showed magic proficiency _two Sundays_ ago?" Hayner barked. Sora, himself, and a few friends sat around one of the stone tables near the summit eating their lunch before afternoon class.

"I was there," Sora cut in with a beam. "Magic proficiency" was the newest "in" topic for the freshman class. Magic proficiency was what happened when the seemingly unremarkable tin slammer pin Sota kept in his pocket for good luck gained magical powers and sent Vanitas flying into a mangrove tree in a ping of white light two weeks ago. Since then, Sota had been one of the heroes of the "normal" section of the freshman class. At the close of their first week of school, all freshmen were tested by Rosso and put into one of seven "classes," depending on what "place" they won in the tournament. Class A was comprised of the most "promising" underclassmen. Class F contained the least promising. Sora had been placed in Class F automatically because of his near expulsion. His classmates were Sota, Pence, Hayner, Nao, Olette, and a girl named Mulan. Kairi was placed in special Class P. The only remarkable thing about Class P was that it was entirely made up of girls with a penchant for singing and animal speak. Riku was in Class C. Roxas was Class B. Ventus was Class A, along with Xehanort Nimoy. Sora hadn't spoken with any of them except Roxas since his expulsion meeting. But his involvement with Sota in the Vanitas affair two weeks back had put Sora in the good books with his male peers again.

Beat was grinding along the boundaries behind them on his skateboard with Zell. He had shown magic proficiency on Tuesday when he used his wheels to knock the wind out of Argento in a homeroom-graded face off. Zell had shown his when he used the brute force of his fists to steam roll Rose Wilson in a student fight. Irvine's proficiency was tested by the nature his gun's bullets took once they left their cartridges. Even Pence, who questioned how he got into the Academy in the first place, had produced a strong enough beam of light from the flash of his camera to blind his opponents as he ran away. That left Hayner and Sora, who, as of yet, had shown absolutely nothing. Every now and then Sora remembered the strange ceremony he had been forced into by Ventus and Roxas the day he laid in the infirmary from a weak abdomen. What had it been for? If it was for anything, nothing had changed. And now that everyone was getting into their fourth week of class, Sora needed to summon _some_ kind of weapon before the midterms if he wanted to stay in the Land of Departure.

"Apparently they assign teams and have you fight together," mumbled Hayner. "So if we just figure out a way to get on each others' teams, we should be fine. Look, only two out of the seven of us are stuck. We can hide behind everyone else until we get our act together."

"Did you ever stop to think that some people just don't have it?" called a voice behind them. Hayner and Sora yelped as they jumped. When they looked behind them Riku greeted them. Wakka, Noel, Seifer, and a pair of bozos named Fuujin and Raijin stood behind. Riku crossed his arms over his chest.

"I haven't seen you show any magic stunts since we got here, either, lamo," Hayner snapped. "Maybe it's just Destiny Islanders who don't have it."

"Hey!" Sora barked. Hayner gave him a sheepish look. Then he turned to Riku, who smirked. Behind him Wakka shuffled his feet in discomfort. Sora tried meeting his eye, but Wakka refused his glance.

"Let's wait till midterms," chuckled Riku. "Then we'll see who can do what." Then, he left.

As Sora stared after him, his face scrunched up in thought. Then he gasped and slapped his palm to his temple.

"Crap!" he announced. When his friends asked what was wrong, Sora mumbled that he forgot to tell Riku about his sister.

"Sister?" said Hayner. Sora grinned. "She happens to be in the Earth Club. I met her at the meet and eat."

"You're in Earth Club?" laughed Zell from Beat's skateboard. "Lame!"

"Olette is in Earth Club!" Pence responded. "She likes it."

"Yeah, it's pretty cool," Sora replied. "We plant stuff."

"Have you gardened before?" asked Hayner. Sora shrugged and said he pulled up mushrooms on the island he and his friends used to play at. Hayner told him mushrooms weren't plants, but fungi. Sora just shrugged. When he glanced around again, a group of familiar faces stalked towards them. The girls. Kairi and Olette. Nao was absent. A new friend with red hair and brown eyes walked in her place.

"This is Shiki," said Olette. "She's really into fashion."

Shiki waved and smiled. Sora squinted to remember her. When he did, he grinned and shook her hand.

"You're the girl with the magic cat!" he barked. Shiki blushed and mumbled that his name was Mr. Mew. Olette explained that Shiki had a black stuffed animal that came to life when she fought in class. As Hayner tried remembering an occasion when the cat had taken life, Sora asked if any of the other girls had shown magic proficiency. Sota announced that Nao's tin pin had beamed white light, the same as his. Olette piped up that Kairi had healed spontaneously when Rosso hit her in the first week of school. Sora barked that he had seen Ventus materialize a key blade in the infirmary.

"That's really far along, materializing weapons is like the third step on the hero magic journey," announced Pence. Someone cut in that they hoped they would be able to materialize a weapon before the year's end.

Sora should have listened. But all he seemed able to concentrate on was Kairi's occasional glare and the anxiety that came over him whenever everyone talked about how badly they wanted to be badass. With a gulp, he stood and excused himself. When Hayner asked why he was leaving, he said he had his probation officer meeting today and he wanted to prepare for it. Then he trudged down the mountain path ahead of them with his mind's eye pointed to the library. Its rose window glinted from the Academy's east wing. Eventually he reached the stone bridge. A few students were sitting along its sides eating lunch. He passed without glancing over. Then he carried himself up the spiral path surrounding the Academy peak until he met with the forecourt archway. He whistled as he passed through the Academy double doors. The library was to the right of him. When he ducked down the stairs a familiar, mildew stale air washed over. He had forgotten how muggy it was in the dungeon. The carpet practically squelched with each step. With a wipe of his forehead he trudged for the librarian's desk and asked for information on their magic selection. No one responded. Sora tapped the bell. A round of hushing breaths responded. In return Sora scowled and leaned against the desk in wait, crossing one leg over the other and humming to himself. Someone glared at him from one of the study tables. A throat cleared somewhere. When Sora turned to meet the sound he yelped. A woman with deep green eyes and auburn hair held her finger to her mouth with her right hand. In her left hand she clutched a stack of books.

"Aerith!" Sora barked. Another round of shushes. Aerith set her books on the counter and took Sora under her arm. As they walked, she asked him what he needed.

"I need info on magic," he said. When Aerith asked why, he blushed and shrugged, mumbling that he just needed it. Aerith nodded and led him to the library's north side. When they got there, she indicated around her and grinned.

"Magic!" she chirped. When Sora stood dumb beside her she chuckled and tapped the nearest bookshelf. "Sora, a quarter of the library is dedicated to magic. Another half to history. And the rest, whatever else. You'll need to be more specific with what you want."

Sora scowled and scratched is head. From his recollection, the beginner's magic book Roxas had given him did not include anything on the steps to becoming magically proficient.

"How far away are midterms?" Sora asked. Aerith pursed her lips and counted on her fingers. "A semester is fifteen weeks," she murmured. "Midterms take place through the eighth week. So that leaves three weeks."

"Three _weeks_?" Sora barked. When Aerith nodded he clutched is chest. He was getting heartburn just thinking about it. Weakly he asked if Aerith knew what midterms were like. She had made friends with some upperclassman named Leon. He may have told her something. As she thought about it she tapped her chin. "They're difficult," she murmured. "As I recall, Leon said they put them on teams."

So Hayner had been right. As Aerith smiled and turned to leave him, Sora asked when Leon had learned to summon his weapon. Her brows furrowed in confusion. Sora cocked his head to the side.

"You know!" he said. "Like when he summoned his special weapon!"

"Sora, I don't understand," Aerith answered. Sora scowled, replying, "when he waved his hand and a weapon came into it from thin air!"

"Sora, very few weapons work that way," Aerith murmured.

"I've seen probably ten people summon key blades from thin air in the last two weeks!" barked Sora.

"Yes," Aerith nodded. "The key blade is the most famous summon weapon. But there's a girl named Stella in junior class who summons a rapier from a bolt of light. Her sister summons a trident. But most of the senior class use weapons they discovered on their first and second hero quests. They imbue them with magic."

"But isn't summoning your weapon, like, the third step in the hero magic journey?" Sora insisted. "Or do you just lug it around on your belt the whole time?"

Aerith pursed her lips. Then she shrugged and smiled. "There is a spell to change the form of your weapon. But why wouldn't you just carry it before you? It _is_ for protection."

Sora was more confused than ever. Aerith seemed so as well. Then her eyes cleared. As she bent close her glance softened.

"Sora," she asked. "Did you get your information from another first year?"

Sora decided he did not need any more help from Aerith. With head held high, he muttered that he would look through the magic section on his own. Then he moved to the other side of the bookshelf. As he left, Aerith murmured that he was heading into the histories section. Sora returned around the bookshelf and pointed to the next one. He asked if that was the magic section or the histories section. Aerith responded that it was all the magic section from that bookshelf. Sora nodded coolly and disappeared again. When he got around the next bookshelf he slopped to the floor with a groan of embarrassment. After checking to see if anyone was watching, he laid with his cheek on the muggy carpet for a good five minutes to recuperate. When he turned his head, he heard voices whispering close by.

Furrowing his brows, Sora lifted his head and crawled towards the sound. The bookshelf enclave he lay within was shaped like a horseshoe: altogether there were three shelves, two long parallel, one thin perpendicular connecting their ends. Sora assumed the short perpendicular shelf in the middle sat against a wall. But when he glanced up his brows furrowed. There was a space between the top of the shelf and the ceiling. There must have been an enclave just like the one he sat within on the other side. Sora grinned as the whispers within rose to a murmur. He fought the urge to listen. After losing he crawled like a slug towards the perpendicular bookshelf and slipped the fattest book, Azal Vol. 3, from its lowest shelf, peeking through the resulting crevice. A book on the other side blocked Sora's view. Scowling, he propped his head on his left palm. With his right he tried fishing the volume towards him. As he got a hold of its pages, one of the whisperers from the other side grabbed it by its spine and jerked it towards him. Sora gasped as his arm was wrenched through the shelf, but before the person on the other side could see him, he whipped back to the corner of his own enclave and held his breath. A yellow irised eye peered through the space between the remaining books in suspicion. When it saw nothing, it disappeared.

"Was someone listening on the other side?" breathed its companion. The yellow-eyed person must have responded, because the first voice exhaled loudly.

"We shouldn't even be talking here," it added.

"Would you rather do it in your room?" the yellow-eyed person purred. Sora furrowed his brows and stuck his ear closer.

"I don't want you near me right now," the first voice snapped. Then it sighed. "Why do you hate him so much?"

"He humiliated me," hissed the second voice. "I want them both out. Make Eraqus do it. Suck his dick or something."

"You're sick," snarled the first voice. There was a scuffle and bang. The voice of yellow-eyes faltered between a coo and a whine.

"Come on!" it insisted. "I'd do it if he let me." Then it giggled. "Would you do it for an old friend?"

"Why worry about Sora," the first voice sighed. "He's done for. At least the other one is competent."

"What about that key blade Roxas always talks about?" asked the second voice.

"He'll never summon a key blade," breathed the first voice. "Sota could actually be something."

"How do I get rid of him?" cooed the second voice. Then it stopped speaking. The library went dead silent. Sora glanced around in terror. Had he made a sound? For a minute he piqued his ears to see if he could make out what had caused the deathly still. Then he realized he was hyperventilating like a beached whale with asthma. Quickly he covered his mouth and tried breathing through his nose. When that didn't work, he just held his breath. The silence continued. Then one of the voices called from behind the bookshelf "I think they're gone." Sora's shoulders relaxed. He breathed out a loud gust of relief. Then, his eyes widened.

Suddenly the line of books in the shelf near his feet exploded into the air around him. Sora screamed and looked down. Two caramel colored arms were driving their way through the bottom bookshelf of the center aisle. After them poked a head full of golden blond hair that whipped around as the blue eyes beneath tried to find out where they were.

"Vanitas, head around the other way," the blond boy snarled. Sora jumped up and charged from the magic section without looking back. He rushed from aisle to aisle, sweating bullets and dodging kids with books piled in their arms. As he swept by the library desk he ducked so that Aerith could not see him running. As he reached the stack of steps leading from the mildew thick dungeon to the fresh air of the forecourt, his pursuers charged from the magic section straight for his yellow sneakered feet. When Aerith spotted the pair she roared for them to stop. Vanitas ignored her, but his blond companion swiveled on his heels and slammed his palms on the librarian's desk right in front of Aerith's outstretched arms. As she reeled back, the boy's startling blue eyes met her greens and blinked in desperation.

"Did Sora come into the library just now?" he gasped.

"Why do you want to know, Ventus?" Aerith intoned, glancing towards Vanitas in disgust as he hopped three steps at a time for the forecourt entrance. Ventus gave an anxious giggle. Then he leaned towards Aerith and grinned.

"I just want to know," he breathed. Aerith remained expressionless for a glimmer of a second. Then she smiled and said that Sora had not been in the library today. As the news fell upon Ventus's ears he puffed out a sigh of relief and laughed. He wrapped his knuckles against the librarian desk and thanked Aerith for her help. Then he rushed for the steps and hopped them three at a time as well, glancing in the direction Vanitas had gone before disappearing that way himself.


	25. Not Worth a Hero

Once Sora made it to his dorm hall he catapulted himself forward with the last of his strength until he bashed chest first into his room door. He shoved his hands in his pockets in search of his keys. Thundering footsteps echoed from the stairwell at the end of the hall. When Sora looked towards it he shrieked. A head of black hair with downcast yellow eyes was making its way towards the exit to his floor. In terror Sora turned and raised his fists to bang them against his door. Instead, he trundled forward into Joshua's outstretched arms.

In confusion Sora jumped up and glanced around him. The door was open and Joshua was standing near it in a pair of flannel pajama pants and a black t-shirt, asking what was wrong. Instead of responding Sora slammed the door shut and dived beneath the covers of his bed. When he popped an eye from beneath the folds, Joshua bent close with an expression of curiosity.

"If he comes, say I've been sleeping for hours," Sora whispered. Joshua furrowed his brows but nodded. There was a loud bang on the door.

"Yo, yo, yo," snarled Vanitas's voice from outside. Joshua's eyes shone as he glanced from Sora's terrified, half hidden visage to the door handle. "Should I open it?" he chirped. Sora shook his head. Then there was a softer wrapping. A new voice wafted from outside, one gentler and more familiar.

"Hey, Sora, this is Ventus," the voice called. "I have a message for you from Roxas."

"Sora, you can't ignore Roxas," Joshua purred. Sora shook his head faster. "If you let in the guppy, the shark follows," he blubbered. Joshua furrowed his brows in confusion. The knock returned.

"Is Sora in there?" Ventus called coolly. Joshua glanced to Sora once more. He told Sora to take off his shoes, jacket, and belt to make it seem like he had been sleeping. Then he winked and answered the door. The minute the latch undid, Vanitas burst through and nearly knocked Joshua into the study desk at his side. Ventus shuffled after with a look of apology, as Vanitas swept around like a hurricane, upturning every cover and slipping between every crevice. Joshua examined the bronze muscles of Vanitas' searching arms with glee. Ventus asked if Sora was around.

"I imagine your friend will find out soon enough," Joshua replied. As Vanitas's hand wrenched the covers from Sora's bed, Joshua asked where he worked out. Vanitas' hands fell against Sora's bare shoulders. Sora yelped and opened his eyes.

"Were you in the fucking library?" Vanitas roared. Sora cowered in terror. Behind, Ventus thundered for him to stop, making the darker boy snarl and shove Sora against the wall. When Ventus swept towards him Sora tried not to shrink.

"What's wrong, Ventus?" Sora croaked. Ventus grinned and asked if Sora had been in the library. Before Sora could respond, Joshua snorted. When Vanitas and Ventus glanced towards him in expectation, he murmured that Sora had been sleeping since the time he got back from class.

"When did he get back?" Vanitas asked.

"At lunch," Sora whimpered.

"Why do you want to know so bad?" asked Joshua. Vanitas opened and closed his mouth. Behind him Ventus chirped that he had to pass on a message from Roxas. When Joshua folded his arms in expectation, Ventus flashed another impossibly white grin.

"He wanted me to tell you not to answer any questions about him in your probation meeting," he announced. Then he said goodbye to Sora and lead Vanitas out, shutting the door behind him with a click. As their voices receded, Sora groaned and threw himself back on his bed. Before long Joshua hunkered at his side and asked what had happened.

"I overheard them talking in the library," Sora sighed.

"What were they talking about?" asked Joshua. Sora glanced through his dorm window with his head set on his folded arms. When Joshua persisted, he muttered, "me."

"Ouch," responded Joshua. "Nothing bad, I hope."

"They were talking about getting me kicked out of the school," Sora said. He tried biting his lip, but it was no use. Tears were coming. He could feel their sting around the corners of his eyes. Soon they would tumble down his cheeks. To hide them he feigned a cough and rubbed his face against his forearms. Then in a muffled voice he added, "they said it would be easy because I'll never summon a key blade." After that he hiccupped. As Joshua rubbed his back Sora broke into a feverish round of sobs. When he turned around he met Joshua's glance and sniffed, "do you think I've got talent?"

"For what?" responded Joshua. When Sora replied, "being a hero," Joshua bit his lip and glanced at his watch. Then he muttered that he needed to get ready for class, patted Sora's back, and left for the bathroom.


	26. Stirring the Pot

**I know it's been a while since I've uploaded (sorry!) but I've been** ** _really_** **busy with school. I've got three weeks left, which means I've got five weeks worth of work to do because teachers only remember when it's too late all the wonderful assignments they wanted to give you earlier in the semester! And after all** **semester** **business is done, I gotta start making MUNNY. Stay tuned for updates. Sora's midterms are fast approaching.**

* * *

Sora used the swing of his body to carry himself up the stairs. Axel's "office" was in what the kids called "the attic," or the top most floor of the academy. Aside from the basement, this floor was the least… realized. It was the loudest, the hottest, the stuffiest, the oldest, and the least kept up. And it was tiny. Above it rose the school's three bell spires that rung every hour to signal class. The attic was basically a little golden house slapped on the top of the school. Its balcony was bigger than it. And from the floor below shone the rose window to the grand hall. The stairs looked as though they had been chiseled out of basalt and made for giants. Sora practically had to do front handsprings to reach the top of them. When he reached the apex his knees buckled and he hung on the banister for dear life. Rosso had been his "teacher" for the day. She wasn't allowed kill or maim him, so she used psychological and emotional torture to inform her examination of his physical endurance. The scale of work exhausted him. He threw up so much that he didn't bother eating anymore till he knew he had time to properly digest his food. If it weren't for the exhaustion his classes caused, his new nighttime feedings would have messed up his sleep cycle without return. And now he had stupid Tuesday probation officer meetings with the red terror. That was his affectionate nickname for Axel, the bane of his existence.

"This is your last chance, got it memorized?" Sora mimicked to himself as he teetered towards the office. He used the wall for support. When he stopped walking he heard footsteps behind him.

"Get what memorized, Sora?" a smooth voice purred. Sora yelped and tumbled to the ground. Axel stepped over him without helping him up. Then he told Sora to meet him in his office "ASAP." Sora grimaced. Then he followed him inside.

Axel's office was the size of a walk in closet. Apparently it used to be a bell tower before the old bells were moved to the spires. Panes of stained glass curved around the windows' gilded metal grilles. Each pane's colored shadow made fantastical shapes against the floor. Short sections of wall moved between them like the plastic surrounding stencil cutouts. As Axel shuffled towards his desk- a fold out table at the room's center with rolling drawers beneath it - he slipped a manila folder from the rusty metal filing cabinet at its side and thumbed for Sora's name. Then he brought out a stack of paperwork, slipped a blank probation meeting form from one of his drawers, and sat himself down. He indicated for Sora to sit in front of him. When Sora hesitated, Axel snapped his fingers. Sora sat. Axel sighed.

"How're things hanging, champ?" he chirped. Before Sora could respond, the sound of thrumming metal echoed through the room. Axel swore and rummaged through one of his drawers until he brought out a plastic pouch of earplugs. He stuck one in each ear. Then the spire bells started going off. They gonged so loud that Sora felt his insides vibrate. His teeth chattered involuntarily as he drove his fingers into his ears. For five minutes the bells continued, back and forth, making Axel pace and curse out the stained glass windows. When the bells stopped ringing, Axel collapsed into his chair and started furiously scribbling things down on Sora's form. Sora tried peeking at the paper as he wrote, but Axel shielded the sheet with his hand. Sora scowled and leaned back. Axel asked him how class was going.

"Good," Sora lied.

"Rosso working you hard?" Axel asked. Sora nodded. Axel chuckled and said it was Reno's idea to keep her as Sora's mentor.

"He figured you could learn a little bit from her approach," he murmured. When Sora opened his mouth to protest, Axel came right out and asked if Roxas was helping him after class.

"What?" Sora blubbered.

"Is Roxas assisting you in your studies?" Axel repeated. "Intervening in your club conduct? Aiding you in your assignments? Allowing you to copy his homework? Gifting you his notes? Facilitating your acceptance into this school's humble inner… folds?"

"That information is," Sora started, gulping, "classified?"

Axel stared at him with a blank expression. Then he repeated the first question. Sora thought about it. Then with increased conviction, he repeated, "Classified!" In return Axel gave him a pitying smile.

"Sora," he murmured. "If we're going to get along, I'll need you to answer my questions."

"I made a promise… to a friend," Sora squeaked. He cursed under his breath, kicking himself for almost outing Roxas after Ventus told him not to. Axel seemed increasingly interested. The paper and pen disappeared. At least he wasn't writing Sora's expulsion notice.

"What friend?" asked Axel.

"A special friend," Sora responded, sweat clouding his vision.

"A friend like Roxas?"

"No."

"A friend like Ventus?"

Sora's eyes widened to the size of bowling balls. Axel grinned. "You're not very good at this, are you, Sora?" he asked.

"No," Sora whimpered. Axel sighed and shifted the paper into his hands again.

"You know you're not supposed to be receiving any help from anyone, right?"

"Um…" Sora gulped. Axel cocked his head to the side. "Have you shown any more magic proficiency?"

"What?" Sora asked.

"You said you summoned a cure spell twice in your first week of school," Axel responded, miming bells and ribbons. "Have you done anything else?"

Sora's hands sweat so bad they felt like they were swimming. He whispered no. When Axel asked him to repeat himself he said it louder. His shoulders fell. Axel narrowed his eyes. Then the redhead gave a "humph," and tapped the paperwork against his foldout desk to shift the papers together.

"How are your clubs going?" he continued. Sora shrugged and said they were okay.

"What are you in again?" Axel asked.

"Earth club, solo performance, poetry, two-one," Sora faltered on the last one, internally slapping himself. Axel asked him to repeat himself. Sora responded, "LGTB…X…" before trailing off in confusion. He could never remember the acronym.

"LGBTQ?" Axel responded. Sora beamed and shouted yes. Axel's expression flattened. It was as if he had an open stitch or plug somewhere that was slowly deflating. Sora chuckled through the image of Axel dropping to the floor like a flat Stanley and hoped the interview would end soon. Axel rubbed his sinuses before fishing around his cabinet again. He brought out a flier and asked if Sora had seen it before. Sora narrowed his eyes. The flyer had a picture of a man dressed as a woman, with shiny high heels and a pink glittery dress. His- or her- hair was enormous, like a great mane descending over her head. Sora had to admit he was impressed. Especially by the makeup job, even if it was a little garish.

"Did you know that this was happening?" Axel elaborated. Sora narrowed his eyes at him. He did not know if he was supposed to say yes or no. Axel looked like he wanted to set something on fire.

"Sora," he cooed. "Do you pay attention in any of your clubs?"

Sora responded that he tried. To his surprise, Axel laughed out loud. When his face came back into view, though, he looked deadly.

"Sora," he intoned, jabbing his finger into the poster of the man lady. "Clubs are treated as classes at this school. If you don't pay attention in class, you fail. Do you attend any of the after club meetings, the Saturday get-togethers? Do you ever talk to your club mates outside of class?"

Sora straight up responded no. Axel smiled. Then he said he was expelling Sora.

"WHAT?" Sora squeaked. "You can't do that!"

"I sure as fuck can!" Axel beamed. "Because you're not doing your job!"

"What am I supposed to do?" squawked Sora. "I've been to all the meetings, I've asked one question a day, what more can I do?"

"You can participate!" Axel sang. He jabbed the poster again. "This is the annual drag competition. And you are going to be in it!"

"No!" Sora bellowed. Then he furrowed his brows. "Wait, what is a "drag" competition? I don't want to drag anyone! That's mean."

"Minerva, Sora," Axel groaned, slapping his palm to his temple. Then he recovered and explained, "drag is a type of performance. A man dresses as a female and embodies exaggerated gender roles to make a commentary on the society of the period. They dress up, wear makeup and wigs, lip sync, dance, act, improvise…"

"That sounds embarrassing," Sora muttered. Axel gripped Sora's probation slip so hard his knuckles turned white.

"Well, there's no "fun" in "probation!"" he beamed. Then he scribbled several notes on Sora's paper and returned it to the filing cabinet. He told Sora he could go, but that he would be mailing his club supervisors to keep an eye on him. And he told Sora to keep working on his magic. Because if he didn't summon another cure charm by the midterm, they were going to start questioning where he got it in the first place. Sora gulped and nodded. Axel told him to go, so he did so without saying goodbye. He felt like crying again. On his way down the stairs, he looked out the stained glass windows and noticed a familiar head of silver hair in the forecourt. When the head turned, Sora beamed. Riku.

Sora threw his leg over the banister and slid down. He got through three flights before making it to ground floor. Once he was there, he charged for the forecourt and made his way towards the archway to the mountain path just as Riku and his posse wandered through it. Sora called his name. Riku faltered. When he turned, he wrinkled his nose. Sora grabbed him by the shoulders and gave him a hug. Riku tore him away in disgust. When Sora asked him what was wrong, Riku snapped for him to get lost.

"Stop treating this school like a playground!" the silverette hissed. Sora fought back tears as he reached for Riku's arm. When the boy slapped him away, Sora stamped his foot and clamped himself around his friend's leg.

"Riku!" he hollered. When Riku roared for him to get off, Sora shook his head and curled around the boy's calf. Then he shouted, "I'm not letting go until we're friends again!"

Someone behind Riku burst into laughter. When Sora looked up, he noticed it was Xehanort Nimoy. Sora gritted his teeth and nuzzled his face into Riku's ankle.

"I won't let go!" he repeated, shutting his eyes. Suddenly he felt a hand twist around his hair. It kept twisting until Sora's scalp felt like it was on fire. When Sora cried for it to stop, Riku yanked him up and shoved him away. Sora padded his tender head through tears. His vision blurred as Riku turned through the forecourt arch.

"Don't leave!" shouted Sora. Riku ignored him. There was more laughter. In anger Sora picked up a stray rock and chucked it at Riku's back. He received the same rock to the nose a few seconds later. Between cursing and padding at his bleeding nostrils he begged for Riku to return. When the boy still ignored him, he shouted something that made Riku stop in his tracks.

"I know where your sister is!"

After the admission Sora clamped his hands over his mouth. Riku stared at him and asked what Sora meant. Oh shit.

 _"_ _Don't do it, Sora,"_ his conscience warned inside his head. _"This is not your responsibility, you need to back the hell up and get out of this mess."_

"She's in the gardening club," Sora heard himself say. Xehanort Junior laughed harder. Sora screamed internally. His legs would not budge. Riku walked towards him and grabbed him by the shirtfront.

"Sora," he hissed. "If you're shitting me, I swear I will beat the fuck out of you."

"I'm not," Sora gushed. "She's in my gardening club! Sice, right? She has long silver hair tied into a high spikey ponytail, she has your eyes, and she cusses a lot! It's got to be her!"

"She's at this school?" Riku gasped. He turned to Xehanort Junior. The boy had stopped laughing. He shrugged. "Only one way to find out," he muttered. Riku let Sora fall to the ground. Then, he and Xehanort disappeared the way they had come. Sora was left crumpled at the forecourt center. Several concerned, widened pairs of eyes looked at him in shock. As he hobbled to standing Sora forced his glance to the ground. Then he returned to his dorm to recuperate from the evening.

* * *

 **Wow! I am one hundred pages into this word document on my computer! What a story! Stay tuned for more. Sora's in for a nasty surprise next chapter. What will Riku and Nimo do about Sice? When will Axel force Sora to do drag? Where are Sora's powers? All will be revealed... eventually...**


	27. Who Can I Trust?

Sora looked at the paper before him in disbelief. His probation had been extended to the end of the semester. He held back tears. If he were on probation for the entirety of the semester, how would he get into everyone's good graces come evaluations? When he looked up, he grimaced. Axel was giving him that same warm hearted, demonic grin he loved brandishing when he was about to screw Sora over. This was probation officer meeting number twelve. Week number seven. As Sora glanced from the purple sheet of paper in his hands to Axel's grin the red head slipped out Sora's expulsion slip and waved it in his face. There were scribbles of Sora's wrongdoings over the past seven weeks all over it. All that seemed to be missing were several signatures. Axel's, Reno's, Rosso's, and no doubt, Eraqus's. When Sora noticed that Rosso had preemptively signed her name, his shoulders sagged. But when he peered closer, he noticed a few extra blank spaces had been added.

"Who are these for?" Sora muttered.

"Your club supervisors," Axel chirped. Then he read through the list on a different sheet of paper. "Marluxia, Larxene, Coco, and Zexion. Looks like Zexion, Larxene, and Coco have already signed you off. Miraculously, you've managed to stay on Marluxia's good side."

"I like planting stuff," Sora sighed. The first thing he had planted for gardening club was a personal petunia. His was doing exceptionally well. He was being graded on it in two weeks, and he intended it to be glorious. He was surprised that Coco signed his expulsion slip, though. He thought she liked him.

"Your legs to stand on are slowly whittling to nothing," sighed Axel. "So far, everyone except Marluxia and Reno has signed your expulsion slip. One more name and you're gone."

"One?" Cried Sora. "What about you?"

To this, Axel threw back his head and gave a deep, devilish laugh. When he glanced back at Sora, his expression was flat. "You can't be serious, can you?"

"Why did Coco sign me off?" Sora blubbered.

"Because you haven't been going to rehearsals for the end of semester drag show," responded Axel.

"That was mandatory?" asked Sora. This time Axel did not respond at all. After a moment of silence he asked if Sora wanted to know why his other professors had signed him off.

"Because they hate me?" responded Sora. Then he folded his arms. "And I hate them back."

Axel's expression looked like it was cut from wax. Again, no response. But Sora appreciated the silent support. Finally the red head found it in him to continue.

"Let's go through everyone. All finalized expulsion slips go to Eraqus- he wanted you gone to begin with, but who's to say he hasn't changed his mind… Reno may spare you for fun, but I won't… Rosso believes you're not progressing in class… neither do Larxene or Zexion."

"I am so progressing!" barked Sora in reply. In return Axel shuffled one of Sora's weaker poems from a manila folder on his desk and read it out loud.

 _"_ _My, my, pizza pie. In the sty, with a sigh. Dashed with a wicked rotten fry, in the sty, with the pie."_

Sora chuckled to himself. That had been a good one. The prompt was "my favorite foods." The sty and sigh additions were red herrings.

"See, it circles itself," Sora added. "That was part of the prompt, too. Pie, sty, and then sty, pie."

"Larxene says you're not contributing to solo performance."

"I've raised my bar to three questions per day," Sora barked in return.

Axel stared at him one final time. Then he asked if he'd summoned magic yet. Sora gave his customary response of no. Axel nodded, filled in another line on his expulsion slip, and then let him go. When Sora got out of the office and shut the door behind him, he collapsed to the ground with a blustering sigh. When he recovered, he shuffled towards the rose window at the hall's end and glanced out of it like he always did. Huddles of kids were chatting in the forecourt. Sora wondered why. Everyone was supposed to be deep in study mode for the midterms. Well, almost everyone. The kids in Sora's skill level had barely been able to get together to strategize yet. Sora was excited, though. With Sota in their skill class, they really had a chance.

With a spring in his step, Sora swept his foot over the banister and slid to the first floor. As he got there, a group of first years were giving each other high fives for getting into the same midterm group. As Sora listened to them wonder what the test would be like, he glanced around to see if any of his friends were in sight. None. With pursed lips he headed past the banister and out into daylight.

Hordes of kids huddled around the right side of the building. There appeared to be seven laminated lists of names tacked over the brick. Everyone glanced through each list for his or her name. When they found it, they read the names around them and either nodded solemnly or cheered. When Sora tried hunting for his own, he got shoved backwards by the thrum. After several attempts at getting to the lists he gave up. Then he made his way towards the summit to see if Hayner, Zell, or Sota were there. Sure enough, when he got to the cliff's apex, he saw the blond at one of the stone tables near the summit balcony's edge. Several familiar faces sat against the grass surrounding him. When Sora made eye contact with them, they nodded for him to come over. Sora did. As he sat, he noticed Hayner reading a list out loud.

"I have Umewaka, Wally West, Karin Kanzuki, Irvine, Fuujin, and Belle," he muttered.

"Whose group am I in?" Zell asked. Hayner sighed and read his list.

"Matsuwaka, Roxas, Sakura Kasugano, Merida MacFergus, Nao, and that princess, Aurora."

"What weird groupings," Zell snorted. As Hayner read off Pence's group, Sora asked for his own.

"Xehanort, Noel, Riku, Neku, Shiki, and Aerith."

"Shit," muttered Pence. Though Sora's heart sank, he cheered himself with the thought that being in Riku's team would force them to talk to one another. Maybe he could even chat with Riku about his sister. When Sota asked if there was a prompt Hayner shrugged and read to the bottom of the page. Then he cleared his throat.

 _"_ _Teams are assigned equally and randomly from all seven skill levels. Students from Class A will be team leaders, while students from Class P will be given a special task not revealed until the day of the exam. Prepare yourselves accordingly."_

"Sounds scary," called Sota. When Hayner saw him, he told him that Kairi and Joshua were on his team. Sota responded that he had read the list when it first came out. Then he turned to Sora and consoled him on his bad group sorting. Sora snorted in confusion.

"Bad? I'm in the best group possible! Well, except for Xehanort. I'm practically best pals with everyone else on the team!"

Sora's friends winced and glanced at each other with worried looks. When Sora asked what was wrong they mumbled "nothing," and fell into private conversation about how they would get in touch with their teammates. When Sora tried horse playing with them, they nudged him away. In dejection he decided to find his own team. It would be easy. Riku and Xehanort were always skulking somewhere around the school grounds together. Neku and Noel were his dorm mates. Shiki was close with Kairi and Olette. And Aerith was always in the library.

As Sora walked down the mountain path for his first victim, he grinned to himself. In his opinion, he had the best team in the world. With a skip in his step he made his way through the forecourt. By now, it was empty of first years. The laminated lists lay forlorn against its brick wall. Sora peeked at one to look through the rest of the names. Beat and Olette were on Ventus's team. He would look after them. Joshua's group was made up of people Sora did not know, except for Kairi and Seifer, one of Riku's new "buddies." But as Sora ducked under the overhang leading into the musty library he dismissed Riku from his thoughts and glanced around for Aerith.

He sauntered to the librarian's desk and rang the bell. The customary round of hushes responded on the mildew thick wind. Sora rolled his eyes and leaned against the desk with both elbows. No one came. He rang the bell again. Another round of hushes. Sora glanced towards the rolling racks of returned books in confusion. No Aerith. When he heaved himself half way over the librarian's desk to peek underneath, a voice behind him asked what he was doing. As he whipped around with a yelp, a senior with blue hair faced him. Ventus's friend Aqua.

"Sora, what is going on?" she asked suspiciously. Sora remembered how Ventus and Vanitas had talked about expelling him in the library weeks before and wondered if Aqua was in cahoots with them. Wiping sweat from his brow and giving a nervous laugh, he choked that he was looking for Aerith.

"Aerith doesn't work on Thursdays," Aqua responded. When Sora asked where she could be, Aqua said probably gardening. Sora furrowed his brows and thanked her. Then he skipped up the library steps, turned right, and headed out the back of the building.

When the familiar white washed woven archways amidst mazes of flowering and woody gladiators, quadruped mammals, snakes, and mysterious pom-pom and massive headed cat creatures rose in the distance, Sora picked up his step and called out Aerith's name. He peeked his head within the maze center that had once housed fold up tables, chairs, and ceramic plates with metal silverware and glass cups from the meet and eat. No Aerith. The "Love our Land" banner was gone, too. But a few gardening tools lay sprawled across the grass as if someone had just used them, or forgotten to put them away. Sora walked towards them and stared down at them in confusion. Instead of calling Aerith's name again, he wandered towards the other end of the maze center and made his way down one of the passageways to the garden's other side. As he did, he overheard voices.

"Aerith?" Sora asked. One of the voices gasped and whispered something. A girl. Without thinking, Sora ran towards it calling Aerith's name.

"Aerith, we're in the same group!" Sora sang, waving his hand through the air as he jumped around the other side of the maze wall. When he did, he met face to face with a pair of burning teal eyes and spikey silver hair tied in a high ponytail. The eyes narrowed and the lip curled with a familiar snarl. A man with fluffy pink hair feverishly readjusted his shirt and pants several yards behind.

"Marluxia?" Sora asked. The man bent over his knees and chuckled in a winded sort of way. When Sora tried walking towards him to see what was wrong, the girl with teal eyes shoved him in the chest and told him to walk with her. She turned and stalked back through the maze. Sora followed her in surprise.

"You're Sice Miyano," he murmured in awe.

"Yeah?" Sice snapped as she stalked. "What of it?" She didn't look once behind her. Sora jogged to keep up.

"What happened to Professor Marluxia?" asked Sora.

"He cut his finger on a petunia," Sice muttered.

"Ouch," Sora responded in worry. "Does he need a Band-Aid?"

"No, but you'll need a fucking Band-Aid if you don't stop mouth shitting," Sice warned. Sora shut his trap and threw away the key with glee. "Have you seen Riku yet?" he gushed. Sice snapped for him to shut up. But he couldn't resist the position he was in.

"Say," he started with a skip in his step. "Riku and I have been in a bit of a jam lately on the friendship train, what with him making friends with this doofus Xehanort Nimo and whatnot, and when I found out you went to the same hero academy as us, I thought, here's my chance to be buddies again, because he showed me the letter you sent him a while back about catching that wave and that's really what made us go for this thing in the first place, and I thought if we all got back together he'd warm up, so when I saw you in gardening club I was just pumped, you know? And-"

Before Sora could say another word, a force like a truck mowed him through the air. When he landed on smooth ground again, he noticed that he was a good ten feet down the mountain from where he had started. Then he looked forward. Pointed straight between his splayed legs was a curved blade the size of his entire torso. When he glanced up the blade hilt, he noticed that it was a scythe, attached to a long pole gripped by Sice's right hand. The light from the sun behind blocked her expression. But the intonation of her voice was clear.

"Stay away from me," she warned. "And if you care about Riku at all, you won't tell him you met me."

"Okay," Sora squeaked, forgetting to say that he had already _told_ Riku he met her. Satisfied, Sice drew her scythe away and turned. As she trudged up the mountain, the scythe disappeared in a swath of bright light. As Sora watched it dematerialize, he gasped. When she was gone he heaved himself up and huffed. Then he trudged after her into the school's front doors, giving a halfhearted glance for Aerith before making his way back to his dorm. When he pushed into his dorm hall and neared his door he heard familiar voices within. Neku and Noel. Someone laughed. Another voice called out. Sounded like Riku.

Not believing his good luck, Sora curled his hand around the knob. As he listened, though, he stopped.

 _"_ _What's this?"_ snickered a deep voice. _"A headrest?"_ As the other voices laughed, Sora narrowed his eyes. Nimoy. Xehanort Nimoy.

 _"_ _I don't fucking know,"_ Riku's voice snapped in response. _"I was only his friend for a couple of years, I don't know every single fucking thing about him."_

 _"_ _Riku, I'll never let go!"_ Nimo's voice sang gruffly, as if imitating a cross between an animal and a really annoying kid.

 _"_ _Fuck off,"_ Riku muttered quietly. Noel laughed in the background.

 _"_ _You guys will never guess what he did a couple days ago,"_ he announced. _"He was talking to the shark, and Joshua asked how his day was, and he responded with the shark."_

 _"_ _I thought it was rather cute,"_ Joshua's cool voice returned.

 _"_ _I bet you thought his bare backside was "rather cute" when he dived for his bed that night,"_ Neku's voice snapped, muffled by what Sora assumed were his covers.

 _"_ _You mean when Vanitas hazed him as he innocently tried taking a shower? How rude. And what I think of Sora's backside is none of your business, Neku."_

 _"_ _I figured you swung both ways,"_ shot Noel. _"But Sora? It's almost pedophilic."_

Joshua did not respond.

 _"_ _He acts like he's five,"_ Noel added. Nimo muttered something that must have set Riku off again, because there was a crash before his clear strong voice enveloped the room.

 _"_ _I told you all I was his friend, not his Siamese twin! He's acted like a two year old since the first day I met him."_

 _"_ _Do you think he's mentally retarded?"_

 _"_ _No, he's just a fucking kindergartener. I know him. He thinks life is his personal playground. People have cleaned up his shit since before he could walk. Everyone felt sorry for him because his dad died young and treated him like this underdog god. Whenever someone else deserves something, he wants it too. He's only here because he ingratiates himself to people."_

 _"_ _Obviously it's more than that,"_ objected Joshua. Silence. Riku asked what more it was. Everyone was quiet. Then, out of nowhere, Xehanort murmured in a singsong, satisfied sort of way, _"The staff likes the thought of fucking him."_

 _"_ _That's bullshit,"_ Riku scoffed, with Noel chuckling in agreement behind him. _"Who'd want to step on a puppy that's already squashed?"_

A sound like a gag came from Sora's throat. His vision swam. When he shoved his hand over his mouth, he noticed that his cheeks were wet. Inside, the room fell quiet. Then, someone shuffled.

Before anyone could slam open the door in Sora's face, he turned and whizzed for the exit stairwell, busting through the exit door and grabbing for the stairs. He threw his leg over the banister and kicked himself down for momentum, making it through two full flights in record time. Just as he fled for the ground floor, his dorm hall exit door slammed open and Joshua's voice pealed down. Sora ignored it and ran faster. When he burst into the front hall, he whipped his head wildly from side to side. Public enemy number 3, Aqua, was skulking in the library. Public enemy number two, red terror, aka Axel/ Reno, was slithering through the attic. Public enemy number one, everyone else, was either in the town below or patrolling the dorms. Sora had nowhere to go. In terror he ran in circles until the echo of footsteps in the exit hallway drove him past the grand hall. By now he was whizzing blindly towards the classrooms without looking ahead. As he charged forward with his eyes over his shoulder, someone called for him to stop. He felt a foot trip him up. As his weight lurched down, a strong arm caught him and held him up. When Sora glanced into the eyes of his savior, his brows furrowed.

A child-sized mouse with a massive cocked head stared down at him, asking if he was all right. Sora was too shocked to answer. When he glanced down the standing, talking mouse's figure, he noticed that it was clothed in a strange red suit with puffy cargo pants and a zip up, white collared red jacket. Again the mouse asked if Sora was all right. Sora blubbered, "no," and the mouse asked if he needed a nurse. Sora shook his head. The mouse asked if Sora needed his probation officer. Sora gasped no. The mouse asked if Sora needed his homeroom teacher. Sora asked for Argento.

"She is in a probation meeting with Eraqus and Reno," the mouse murmured, adding, "Sora, are you hurt in any way?" Sora responded, "only my feelings." Grimly the mouse nodded and herded Sora towards an office at the end of the hall. Sora's face was so puffy with tears and snot that he couldn't see a thing. As far as he knew he sat down in a chair before a desk with a candle on it. The mouse shuffled around his side and handed Sora what felt like a tissue. After Sora blew his nose, the mouse asked if there was a student he trusted to bring him back to his dorm.

"Riku, perhaps, or Kairi, or one of your dorm mates?" the mouse tried. Sora started crying again. When the mouse murmured that he would get Axel, Sora gasped for Roxas.

"Roxas?" the mouse asked in surprise.

"Yes!" Sora blubbered. The mouse asked if he was sure. Sora nodded and repeated himself. With a sigh the mouse murmured that he would ask Roxas to come down as soon as possible.

"In the meantime," he added, "you rest up. You can stay here as long as you like, just don't get curious with any of Yen Sid's books."

"Young Sieve?" Sora croaked in confusion.

"You'll meet him later on," the mouse chuckled. Then, he closed the office door behind him and left Sora to his own devices. For a long while the brunette sat sobbing at the desk front without relief. When he was able to lift his head, he glanced towards what he had in his melancholy stupor before perceived to be a candle. It was indeed a candle, and the wax dripped from it into what appeared to be a small, human skull. As Sora ran his fingers over it and sniffled, he sighed.

"Who knew heroes could be so mean?" he whispered. Not to his surprise, the skull declined to respond. Still, Sora felt brighter knowing that one less fortunate than he sat warmly at his side bathed in bright, shining light.

* * *

 **Poor Sora! How will he cope with these new developments? How far will Riku fall? Where is Roxas? When the hell will these kids have their midterm?! I'll try to update as fast as I can, stay tuned!**


	28. New Friends

Roxas never came to console Sora. Apparently he was tied up in "evening meetings" and "club activities." Instead, the mouse that helped him in the hall sent a nurse to check Sora's temperature and escort him to the infirmary to recuperate. When Sora asked if he could stay the night, the nurse said no. So when the nurse left to check on a bad case of projectile vomiting in the economics classroom, Sora checked himself out and snuck to the library, crawling behind the librarian's desk for fear he would run into Aqua. When he peeked towards the desk from behind a rolling rack, he noticed a different student in charge. Her head lay embedded in the book she was reading, and her glasses shone as she picked stray brown hairs from her heart shaped face. To test her awareness, Sora stood, tucked his hands under his armpits, swayed his hips, and moved his elbows like a chicken. The girl only moved to chuckle at a particularly humorous section of the chapter she was leafing through. Satisfied, Sora picked up a beanie cushion from the small sitting area at the library's entrance and stalked for the first book that interested him, picking it up before swiveling off for more. Before long he had collected a meager pile of interesting reads to wile the night away with.

Popping through the shelves to find a corner or cubby comfortable enough to house him and his beanie, Sora snuggled in between the cushion, bookshelf, and the wall and picked out the first of his pile. It was a children's book about scattered worlds. Sora set it to the side as a consideration as he leafed through the second.

"A history of the key blade," he read aloud. By someone named Master Luxu. Before getting past the title page Sora dumped the book and fished for a third.

"Hot Eats around The Land of Departure." Now this was literature. Sora thumbed through until he got to burger joints. He read the whole book cover to cover when an announcement came over the intercom to say the library would close in an hour. Sora glanced up from his bedtime reading and pursed his lips. He wished he could hide in the library for the night. But if he missed curfew, he worried his dorm mates would rat on him. He decided what books he would bring with him. Then he folded them in his beanie and shuffled towards the librarian's desk to check them out. When the girl at the desk glanced up, Sora noticed that it was Belle, a fellow first year. He handed her his books wordlessly.

"You have twenty two books due this Friday," Belle murmured as she glanced through his account on the computer. Sora groaned. His stack of "required reading" from Roxas lay in an unread heap beside his dorm bed. He would have to lug the stack down and give them all back before another black mark was checked on his expulsion sheet. As Sora turned to go, he asked Belle if she needed help closing. She nodded and had him search to see if any students were lurking around the shelves. Then Belle taught him how to put books away. When they finished, he accompanied her from the library to her dorm. By the time they locked up and reached the second floor hall dividing the male from female halls it was one o'clock.

"Past curfew," Sora muttered in worry. Belle responded that she had added his name to the online list of volunteer library closers. "The only downside is that you come twice a week without getting paid." Then she rummaged through her bag and pulled out the temporary curfew permit she had printed for him.

"Great," Sora sighed. It was better than getting expelled for being late to bed. He brandished the permit before him like a shield or guiding light as he searched for his own floor. He was fast inside his dorm door. Also clumsy. He tripped over someone's bag and went crashing into the pile of books at the side of his bed the minute he stepped through. As Noel groaned and Neku cursed at him for his loudness, Sora clawed around his bed for his toiletries. When he could not find them fast enough, Noel called for him to just go to bed. Sora ignored him and searched harder, his hands shaking in fear as the time crept on and Noel's groans of irritation grew. As his vision adjusted and his toiletries came into view Sora drew a sigh of relief. Then he tripped over his parasol as he made his way back to the door. Something with plastic pellets pinged off the back of his head as he tumbled. Someone called for him to go to bed. Sora felt around desperately for the plastic pelleted object, thinking it was Jaws Junior. But it was just Neku's hacky sack. Giving up and slumping over on his side, Sora decided to sleep on the floor. As he waited for what felt like forever, the bunks fell silent around him. Hugging his arms and snuggling up, Sora let out a few test whimpers as Noel began to snore. When the whimpers turned into full on semi silent sobs, a loud growl of disapproval curled up from the bed beside and Neku shot up before him. The boy had his headphones around his bare neck. The familiar purple collar that covered the lower half of his face had been traded in for a grubby white tee.

"What the fuck are you doing, Sora?" Neku growled. Sora blinked in terror and muttered that he'd keep quiet.

"That won't help," Neku snapped in response. "I can't sleep knowing you're sniveling on the floor."

"Sorry," Sora blubbered. "Just find me Jaws Junior and I'll pipe down."

With a scowl Neku rolled off his bunk and dug something from down the side. He stalked with the mystery object to Sora's bed, guiding the boy's hand until Sora was safely on his own bunk. When Sora was relatively comfortable, Neku climbed back in his and threw the mystery object into Sora's arms. A familiar set of woven, pudgy teeth amongst plush blue fur filled with pellets, and a fat dorsal fin and tail leaned themselves against Sora's belly. He grinned.

"Why'd you have him over there?" asked Sora in wonder, petting Jaws Junior like a beloved dog. He could almost hear Neku shrug.

"I didn't think you'd like Xehanort Nimoy throwing it around like a hot potato the whole evening as he bitched about you," Neku muttered.

"Thanks," Sora responded, chancing a small "goodnight," as he settled in. He thought he heard a returning "goodnight," muffled by covers and headphones, so he added, "you're a great new friend."

"Too fuckin' far," Neku growled in reply. Then silence. Satisfied, Sora grinned and snuggled in with Jaws Junior. Perhaps tomorrow he would begin strategizing with his new team how to best best the midterms.


	29. Midterm Week

Sora made it through the next day and the weekend without speaking to any of his team members. Riku and Xehanort disappeared, his dorm mates avoided him, and Aerith stuck to the garden or library and couldn't practice with him. To console himself he worked on his petunia. By Monday, it was looking rather peppy. Sora, on the other hand, despite being worked to the utter limits of exhaustion each day by Rosso or Argento, could not sleep. Roxas had been absent the whole weekend. Had he finally been forced into punishment for assisting Sora in his expulsion trial? Sora began worrying that they had killed him when he saw him in Monday morning meeting with the rest of the first years. When Sora waved at him Roxas cocked his head and smiled. He seemed tired but fine. As the teachers gathered and told the students to follow them to the mountain path, Sora made his way to Roxas' side and asked where he had been.

"Pay attention," Roxas responded. Sora scowled but obeyed, watching as two of the seven instructors, Weiss and Nero, parted while the other four continued up the mountain with Shelke, the youngest, at the lead. When all first years reached the stone tables near the hanging golden practice circles and settled around them, Shelke turned and handed the floor to Argento, who stepped forward in surprise and recovered with a quick cough.

"Welcome to midterms," she began. After clocking the ensuing gasps of confusion, Argento continued, "what you like to call dead week, what your instructors have named "reading week," and what we prefer to call "rebirth week."" Another round of confused looks. Argento chuckled.

"In the past seven weeks, we have trained you to the absolute limit of your abilities. Trust us. Our surprise that not one of you has dropped out yet is boundless. But you have not truly been tested. Though you may _believe_ we have tested you nonstop, know this. We have gone easy on you. We have coddled you. Examined your strengths and weaknesses. Prodded or bolstered whichever we saw fit. Made you strong." Then she paused before continuing.

"The first year midterms will be the fastest, most difficult task you will ever have completed thus far. They will humble you because you will fail. Your grimmest realization should be that "preparation" is no longer on the table. Your "study" is finished. No amount of magic or miracle will carry you through the next three days to what you should have accomplished these seven weeks. Where you are is where you will be. And from here on out, playtime is over. Those who have concealed themselves under the accomplishments of others will be rooted out. Should you score below the 40th percentile in your class, you will be put on probation until the semester's end. From there, we will judge your continuation at this academy. Shelke will hand each of you an envelope detailing your midterm's procedure and location. My parting word of advice is to simply get to know your fellow classmates as much as you can. Goodbye and good luck. This satisfies class for today."

After finishing, Argento bowed and indicated the stone tables where Shelke was seated. She called all first years in alphabetical order. When Sora got his own envelope he tried searching for his teammates. Aerith was standing beside Yuffie. Noel had come to introduce himself. Aerith listened politely as he explained Valhalla. When she got Sora in her sights, she waved him over and asked how he was doing.

"Never better," Sora responded weakly, wilting at Noel's look of disapproval. Before Sora could escape, Neku, Riku, and Nimo were traipsing over to say hi as well, Nimo acting surprisingly courtly in light of what he had said in Sora's dorm room the week before. He even bowed to Aerith as he introduced himself. Yuffie giggled as Aerith blushed. Then Nimo cleared his throat.

"I think we should have dinner tonight," he announced with a beam, taking Aerith's hand in his own before adding, "as a team." As Neku grumbled in irritation, Aerith murmured that she thought it was a wonderful idea. A few feet away, Riku and Noel discussed weapon instructors.

For the rest of midterm week combat classes were canceled. For all students who had managed to acquire a specific weapon or ability over the first half of the semester- meaning everyone in the group bar Sora- there were specialized training sessions with appropriate instructors. Students signed up for individual sessions on the instructors' office doors. Sora was dubious as to whether Riku possessed a weapon at all- because he had never seen whatever it was before. But Riku talked with the other boys like he had been "summoning" his whole life. He and Nimo exchanged words like "keeb," "sums," "mag," "GA's," and "combos." "Keeb," seemed most popular, and it appeared to be an object or animal.

"My keeb's pretty powerful," Riku acquiesced.

Sora chuckled at the thought of a kind of silver bulldog with Riku's disinterested teal stare lounging about the forecourt, waiting for Riku to take it for a walk. Neku kicking his foot brought Sora back to the present. Everyone was staring at him. When Sora asked them to repeat themselves Riku huffed loudly. Noel asked Sora when he was free for dinner.

Everyone bar Aerith, who closed the library Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, was free after seven. The schedule so far was Tuesday night at eight. After dinner the team would return to the school and discuss strategy. Then Sora remembered his probation meeting with Axel had been rescheduled for eight due to a school wide midterm meeting for instructors. He promised Belle he would volunteer to close the library from ten to twelve.

"I guess you'll only be around from nine to ten, Sora," Riku said coolly. "And by that time, you'll probably be so late you shouldn't bother coming."

"Actually, nine is better for me as well," Aerith piped up, adding that she helped in the school garden till eight and wanted some time to freshen up after. The boys grumblingly adjusted the meeting to nine. When they tried scheduling more meeting times during the week, everyone's schedule was either too incomplete or too overlapping to work. So everyone promised to figure out their schedule by that evening and report exactly what times they were free over dinner. When there wasn't more to say, the team scattered. As all other first years departed, Sora and Aerith found themselves alone. They returned to the school together.

As they walked, Sora thanked Aerith for changing the dinnertime. She told him not to mention it with a smile. As the school rose ahead she asked how his petunia was holding up. He responded that it was great.

"It's real plump looking," he added. "It's just beginning to open up."

"You have a green thumb, Sora!" Aerith responded. Sora shrugged and said he just liked working on it. Aerith said she had seen his hard work, and that the other officers had noticed, too. "Lunafreya and Sice were talking about it at the last officer meeting."

Sora slowed his steps in surprise. People said good things about him when he wasn't supposed to hear?

"What is Sice like?" he found himself asking. Aerith chuckled and shrugged.

"Rem's top seven descriptive words for her are vulgar, vindictive, ferocious, cynical, critical, touchy, and ruthless."

"Ah," Sora responded with furrowed brows.

"But she has a good heart," Aerith added. "She has a brother back home who she really cares about. She says he's her albatross."

Sora snorted as he thought of Riku with skimpy legs and a big beak. Last time he checked, he muttered, Riku was no roving bird. Aerith laughed at the thought and replied that the albatross was a metaphor.

"The albatross is a burden that requires penance," she murmured. "It comes from a poem. I guess Sice feels like she betrayed her brother in some way that will come back to haunt her in the future."

Sora looked grimly on the horizon. Now he knew what Sota meant when they'd sat in the burger joint in the valley talking about responsibility. Sora wondered what his albatross was. He hoped it wouldn't have anything to do with Riku confronting Sice himself. Just as he grimaced, Aerith caught his arm. She asked him to repeat what he had said earlier. When Sora responded with confusion, she asked if he had said that Riku was Sice's brother.

"Yeah," Sora responded. Aerith chuckled in surprise. Then her smile disappeared. She murmured that she wondered what would happen when the siblings met. Sora gulped. By now he was jittering with anxiety. When Aerith asked what was wrong he muttered that it was nothing, hurrying up the spiraling stairway to forecourt on the pretense of having to rush to his dorm. When he got there he sprinted down the library steps for the magic section, hunting through the most advanced titles to see what could possibly help him. He half hoped Roxas would spontaneously turn up and tell him what to do like he had his first few week of school. But the boy was nowhere to be found.

Just as Sora snuggled into his familiar corner with the stack of books, he heard a group of kids talking across the way about going to class. Sounded like first years. Suddenly Sora remembered that the scheduled time for his clubs had changed and lengthened for the day. He just forgot which one was when. Jumping up and lugging the books under his arm, he brought all of them to the library counter and called that he wanted to check them all out. His shoulders sagged when he noticed who was on library duty today. Aqua nodded and moved through the stack one by one, commenting as she watched the clock that Sora had seven minutes to get to his next class.

"I know, I know!" snapped Sora in exasperation. He could not let these books go. Aqua looked over each title as they passed through her grasp.

" _Advances In Lock Picking_?" she murmured with narrowed eyes. Sora gave a nervous laugh.

" _The Art of War Magic_? _Breathing Water_? _Book of Retribution_? _Winnie the Pooh_?"

"Little bit of light reading," Sora responded hoarsely.

" _No Pun Intended_? _Cheato_?"

"Gotta have those puns," Sora croaked. This call and response went on for a good five minutes as Aqua stalled giving Sora his books. When she had had enough, she came right out and said these titles weren't going to help him on the midterm. The color drained from Sora's face. He found himself asking what the heck he was supposed to do without any help.

"Don't you have a weapons appointment with one of your professors?" asked Aqua. Sora snapped that he didn't have a weapon to appoint. Aqua's response was a look of dark realization followed by pity. With a smile she said for Sora to "just… do his best," putting a flower of condolence on his metaphorical grave. By now Sora had three minutes to get to class. Grimly he said he wanted the lock picking book and _No Pun Intended_. Aqua acquiesced and sent him off.

His hands clenched around the few books he had managed to keep as he stalked through the front hall. He really had no idea where to go. His anger was blinding him to what club he had next. He started running by classrooms to see which contained familiar faces. The poetry room was empty, as was the LGBTQ classroom. When Sora dashed by the Solo Performance class he groaned. Larxene was roaring at a crying child inside. Sora glanced to the clock above the door. One minute to go. He slipped into the classroom and tried charging to the back of the lecture hall unseen. But something hard and wooden hit him in the back of the head and sent him sprawling to the ground the minute he crossed the threshold of the door. A ruler.

"You're late!" Larxene roared, flinging the crying student away for Sora. When she stepped over him, he pointed to the clock and said he had one minute. Larxene kicked him in the cheek, barely missing his nose.

"WHAT DID WE LEARN ON THE FIRST DAY OF CLASS?" she roared.

"If you're early you're on time, if you're on time you're late, if you're late you're fired," responded the rest of the class in a dull thrum.

"Exactly!" Larxene snapped. Sora refrained from reminding her that he had, in fact, been one minute early, meaning one minute on time. Without his permission Larxene swiped the books from his grip and glanced through them with an expression of distaste.

" _No Pun Intended_? _Lock Picking_? Please tell me these are unrelated to your midterm project."

"What?" Sora croaked.

Larxene threw her head back and laughed before snapping towards the class.

"Can someone remind this dead head what the midterm assignment is?"

"Research a piece of written media that embodies you as a person and craft a performance from it," Umewaka, a fellow first year, hissed.

"First draft due today," Kuja, a senior, added with subdued glee. All the psychopaths of the school took this club. Sora imagined it was due of the joy they derived from watching Larxene terrorize first years.

"Ah," Sora worded, hiding his sweating, shaking hands behind his back as he stood. When he tried slipping to his seat, Larxene blocked his path with her foot. When he looked at her in confusion, she asked him to present his rough draft. Sora's legs nearly gave way beneath him.

"Can I have five minutes?" he pleaded in a whisper. Larxene bent close and whispered back, "no." Then she swatted him and told him to present. She sat down on the far side of the class with her feet crossed over her desk. As she pulled out some chicken wings in a takeaway box to her side, she called out, "you would have had twenty minutes to prepare if the drama club hadn't stolen the freaking black box from us!" With that she ripped into a chicken wing and screeched for Sora to start. Sora's classmates slipped performance rubrics from their desks. Sora gulped and glanced towards the books on the floor beside him. He figured the pun book would be his best bet. So he swept it up and did what he did best.

"What?" he blurted in a loud cry. "A school for heroes in a place called Olympus Coliseum? You've got to be kitten me!" Dead silence. Larxene screeched that Sora didn't have enough movement. Sora mimed Riku showing him the hero poster in his room in Destiny Islands, then himself cupping his hands around his mouth in surprise.

"We get to ride in a space ship? This otter be good…" Sora mimed an otter floating through the Besaid Sea. Then he mimed the shuttle ride to the Galactic Federation vessel and looking up at an invisible Gantu. Because the first two jokes had been on the book cover, Sora flipped through chapter one feverishly to find another. Larxene shouted for him to hurry up.

"Why is Riku not talking to me? He's such a stalemate," Sora croaked. "How much is the Pi Rate ticket for staying on board? 3.14 drachmas."

The class chuckled. Sora flipped a few more pages, miming Gantu's elephantine padded feet and hulking gestures. "How did you escape prison, you midget psychic?" he tried in the whale's voice, imagining the day he had gotten enough money to enter his lodgings after Gantu stole his racetrack earnings. In his own voice, Sora responded, "I'm just a small medium at large."

The class chuckled. Sora was so thrilled he skipped a few pages and with it, his memory flew to hero training at Olympus Coliseum.

"Another preliminary quiz to see if we're heroes? Not an udder one." No response, so with a grim nod Sora flipped through some more, deciding to amend the remaining jokes in the book for personal situations.

"It's not that I couldn't juggle not having an alarm clock, being exhausted, and having a sadistic homeroom professor when I came here," Sora tried in a quasi-accent like the one Rosso had. "I just didn't have the balls." Then he curled his pumpkin pant rompers high up his thighs and aped the sadist's walk. The class laughed harder.

"How did I handle bouncing back after being disemboweled the first week of school? It took guts."

The class howled. Sora had devised that one entirely himself. As a reward for being a good audience, he gave the class a two-minute mime session of his first few weeks of school until he settled on one of his most recent probation officer meetings with Axel.

"Sora vs. Probation Officer round seven," he hissed, miming a Ping-Pong game with Axel while dashing back and forth with an imaginary paddle. "He's got the pink slip in his hands. I try remembering a joke about amnesia. But I forget how it goes."

The class laughed again. Even Larxene gave a little snort. Sora got one final idea. Springing up, he related his hope that his cannibal classmates didn't gang up and eat him for the midterm.

"How do I know they're cannibals? Because whenever I do something wrong they throw up their hands."

There were a few odd chuckles from the class psychopaths. The first years rolled their eyes while a few other students wrinkled their noses in distaste. Sora bit his lip. He needed to end the presentation on a high note.

"I got to remember how to boomerang to the top! I've had a few stumbles, but I know it'll come back to me!" With this, Sora mimed wielding a massive blade against numerous unseen enemies while climbing to the top of a mountain. When he had ascended the black box cube before the chalkboard, he held an invisible flag of victory before him and the class cheered. As he dismounted the cube, Larxene put her hand around his shoulder. Then she looked down at him with what Sora hoped was a smile of satisfaction.

"Well!" she said aloud. "Who knew Sora had a flair for performance!" The class laughed. Larxene patted Sora's shoulder. Then she whacked him on the head and told him to sit at the back of the class. With shaking hands he scribbled the headings for a performance rubric onto a sheet of notebook paper and prepared to judge the next student up. Larxene added that she needed the written transcript of Sora's performance by the end of class. Sora bit his lip so hard it almost bled.

Over the rest of the extended class, Sora feverishly finished the rough draft of his presentation. When he turned it in at the class's end, she graded his rough draft on the spot. When she handed the paper back, Sora gasped.

A low B. Sora had never seen something so beautiful. He hadn't gotten a grade this high since his school days at Destiny Islands.

"We may find use for you yet, Sora Nomura," Larxene winked with a twinkle of mischief in her eye. Sora held back tears as he bowed to her. Then he heaped his library books under his arm and went for his next club with spirited steps.

* * *

 **Midterm week has officially begun! A guest appearance from Larxene today, but Roxas is still at large. The next chapter is one of my favorites so far, and the chapter after that is the test! Thank you all for bearing with me through this school year. It's been crazy, but now it's officially summer!**

 **It's funny how far Sora has come in terms of development. Unfortunately he stumbled into a world much bigger and darker than himself, so he has to adapt incredibly fast. This first year will really be about his stumble into this new world. Year two will bring about very dark realizations that may shake Sora to his core. Some of these revelations will begin now... but STAY TUNED. I'm excited!**


	30. Unexpected Guests

"I heard about your immaculate solo performance, Sora," Axel chirped in their Tuesday evening probation meeting. Sora beamed without helping it, adding that he'd gotten his first B from Larxene.

"Keep up the good work and you may even break an A," Axel responded. Sora gasped at the thought. He had never even _seen_ an A grade up close. When he glanced back to Axel his shoulders sagged. The man was waving his pink expulsion slip in the air.

"Because you've got to have a 3.5 GPA to pass probation this semester!"

"What's a 3.5?" asked Sora.

"Between a B+ and an A-," responded Axel. Sora choked on his saliva.

"What?" he cried. "I've never gotten a B+ in my life!"

"Well now is a good time to start!" Axel returned with a beam. As he slipped the pink sheet back into the filing cabinet behind his desk, he said there was good news.

"Larxene is considering rescinding her signature of expulsion. Depends on how you do on the midterms."

Sora grinned. He would keep the pun book close to his heart for the next two weeks.

"But it's not looking good, Sora," Axel added as he bit his pen. "It's hard to recover from straight Ds so late in the semester."

Sora gulped and said he would see what he could do. Axel asked why he hadn't signed down for a specialized midterm combat training session with a professor, adding that spots were going fast for student favorites. Sora responded that he did not have a weapon to summon.

"What about your cure magic?" Axel chanced, badly holding back a chuckle. Sora's shoulders sagged. "Didn't you say you were a healer?" Axel added, nearly busting his gut giggling. Sora furrowed his brows. Axel recovered enough to ask if Sora had summoned another cure. Sora whispered that he had not.

"Might need a little magic for the midterm," Axel responded. "Especially if you're the only one on your team without a weapon."

"Yeah," Sora gulped.

"This midterm will take a lot of guts. Especially if Rosso decides to disembowel you again."

This proved to be Axel's breaking point. He was now captured by a fit of high-pitched laughter, his hands wrapping around his middle while his legs sprawled around the arm of his swinging chair and the front of his makeshift desk. He appeared to be crying. Sora handed him a tissue and Axel said thank you. He wiped his eyes and got out the ever-growing packet of teacher commentary on Sora's academic performance.

"Marluxia has only good things to say. You've entertained Larxene. Zexion hates you. So does Coco. But with that pun performance you pulled out of your ass yesterday, you can sure as hell give a nice drag show next week," Axel sighed. Sora's heart fell at the idea of running around a stage in a skirt and makeup.

"And I wouldn't skip another rehearsal," Axel added coldly. This time his expression grew dangerous. Sora muttered that he would adjust his schedule. In return Axel beamed and dismissed him. When Sora exited his office and slid down the front hall banister out into the forecourt, he kicked stray pebbles around in anger and waited for the rest of his midterm group to gather. In the distance he noticed the gardening club officers stalking from the maze. Among them walked Aerith. Farther back, close at professor Marluxia's side, Sice drew. A smile unusual to her erupted across her face every time he spoke. Absentmindedly the man picked a stray silver hair from her flushed face. Sice averted her gaze. Marluxia laughed. Sora thought he saw Sice elbow him. The professor whispered in her ear. Her grin widened. She blushed harder. Her eyes drew to the forecourt and transformed to a cold glare when she noticed Sora staring. Sora wilted. Then, grasping at an idea, he gritted his teeth and trudged towards her. At first she tried avoiding him, but when he started calling her name she stopped and waited for him to reach her side. When Sora did, she grabbed him by the collar and twisted until he could hardly breath.

"What the fuck do you want?" she snarled, pulling him so close their noses touched. Sora giggled with fear.

"I think Riku knows you're here," he whispered. Sice's shoulders shot up like knives. "At this school, I mean, not in this spot right now," Sora added. Sice's eyes widened. Then she groaned.

"I knew this day would come," she murmured, biting her lip. "I just hoped it wouldn't be so soon."

"Yeah, bummer…" Sora croaked. Sice let Sora go and set her hands on her hips. Then she asked what he thought she should do. He blubbered that she should be careful, adding that Riku had acted "kind of… different lately."

Sice nodded and turned to leave. Then, as an afterthought, she turned back and set her hand on Sora's shoulder. She gave a half smile. Then she said thank you. Sora was too shocked to respond. As Riku's sister darted around the back of the school with the rest of the officers, Aerith drew to Sora's side and asked if he was ready for dinner. Sora shrugged.

"I just want to wash my face and change," Aerith continued, asking if Sora wanted to see her dorm. Sora blushed at the thought of going into the girls' hall. He didn't think it was allowed.

"It's half past eight, not twelve," Aerith laughed. "You'll be fine. I just want you to stand outside. You don't have to, of course. Or you can come in and talk to Yuffie."

Sora brightened at the thought of having a non-threatening conversation with someone. He liked Yuffie. She was almost as energetic, if not more, than he was. As he and Aerith headed past the forecourt and up the school's front steps, Sora brushed a familiar shoulder. When he glanced to the side, silver hair and angry teal eyes greeted him.

"Riku?" he blurted in surprise. The boy seemed engraved in the forecourt stone steps. He glared forward as if watching a different world. When Sora peeked his head around to catch Riku's point of view, his vision glanced across the maze. When Sora turned back, Riku had gone. Confused yet anxious, Sora trudged behind Aerith in silence as they made their way up the stairs to the left side of the school. When Aerith opened the door leading to the girls' dorm hall, Sora blinked in wonder. The dorms were the exact same as the boys'. Quieter, though, because of the time of day. For some reason Sora had imagined lots of pink, muffled giggles, and a wafting scent of cinnamon. When Aerith reached her dorm she slipped her room card from her dress and unlocked the door, slipping on the light as she shuffled inside. Sora beamed as he followed. The room's left nook was pleasantly eclectic but neat. The other held a tornado of bedraggled odds and ends: hair ribbons, underwear, socks, and strangely, a plastic buttoned package of metal shuriken.

"That's Yuffie and Anna's side," sighed Aerith. "I bunk with a girl named Audrey. She does art, I like plants."

Sora noticed a small, healthy bamboo lounging by the side of Aerith's bed. Tacked above it was a painting of searing blue sky and trees with pink, fur like canopies. When Sora peered towards the tiny etching on the painting's corner, he noticed the words " _Truffulas In Spring_ ," along with the signature of a name that started with an A. Sora wondered to himself what a Truffula was as Aerith collected her toiletries and glanced in the mirror. When she asked Sora if she should have a wash, he blushed and shrugged. Aerith cocked her head to the side and ran her fingers through the roots of her hair.

"Just have a shower already, beauty queen," called a muffled voice. Sora jumped and looked around in shock. When he stared at the top bunk across the way, he noticed one deep, purple grey eye peering out at him from beneath the covers. Aerith stuck her tongue at Yuffie and laughed when Yuffie pitched an origami shuriken at her. Then she traded her face cloth for a bath towel and disappeared. When Yuffie and Sora were alone, Yuffie flipped the covers from her head and slung herself over the side of the bunk upside down. When she drew eye to eye with Sora she smiled and said, "sup." Sora responded with a "hey," and a nod. She had traded in her normal shorts and midriff for a massive black t-shirt that read, "Give us the real Yuna- copyright 1990." He noticed she had a hot water bottle draped across her middle. As she righted herself she winced. Sora asked what was wrong, and she said that her specialized training session kicked her ass. When Sora asked what happened, Yuffie shrugged.

"I'd just eaten a ton because I'm in the culture club and we potluck every Tuesday," she explained. "I had my training session immediately after. I thought it was going to be an intro type of thing, but we went right in. I got so sick by the end that he let me off early."

"Wow," Sora gulped, suddenly glad he didn't have to sign down for a session. When Yuffie asked what time his was, he said he didn't need one. Yuffie laughed involuntarily, hurting her stomach more.

"I gotta hand it to you, Sora, you're a riot," she sighed. She said Sora should sign up with the martial arts teacher since he didn't have magic or a weapon. Sora shrugged and said he would think about it. Yuffie added that he could train with Squall.

"Squall?" Sora muttered. Yuffie nodded. "Yup! You know. Junior. Calls himself Leon."

Sora couldn't remember. Yuffie blabbered that she was sure he would have time in his schedule to help Sora out. As she began dropping midterm hints she had heard through the grapevine, Aerith returned with her wet hair swept up in a bun and her toiletries heaped in her arms. Her towel was wrapped around her middle and she had bath slippers on her feet. When she caught sight of Sora she yelped and breathed that she had forgotten he was there. In good sport he left the room to wait as she changed. When he saw her again, she was ready to go.

"I didn't take too long, did I?" she beamed. Sora shrugged and nodded, still sheepish. It made Aerith chuckle. When she started walking Sora followed her down the hall. Once they had gotten past the girl dorms and started descending the staircase to the front hall, they glanced around for the rest of their midterm team.

"Did they say to meet them in the hall or at the restaurant?" Aerith asked. Sora stepped onto the forecourt and did a 180 to see who was around. Just as he returned to point zero he noticed a familiar set of bare calves beneath white shorts shuffling down from the second hall stairs. Above was a sleeveless indigo hoodie with a massive collar and a set of earphones clasped around it. Neku. The boy seemed completely disinterested, but he was early. When Sora peered behind him, he noticed someone following close behind. Joshua. Noel appeared to be pulling up the rear. Sora wondered where Riku and Nimo were. When he peered further up the stairs he noticed a whole host of first years traipsing down towards them. Nao and Wakka were amongst them, along with a few other kids Sora only knew by name. There must have been eleven people approaching the forecourt in all. Suddenly Aerith cried out and laughed. Yuffie was sliding down the second hall banister backwards. When she got to the end of the stairs she slid onto the ground and made her way outside rubbing her sore stomach. She had managed to tuck the massive black shirt saying, "give us the real Yuna," into a pair of unbuttoned, waist high beige short shorts. When Noel gave her a narrow eyed look she winked at him and kept walking.

"What are you doing?" Aerith asked. Yuffie shrugged and said Nao had knocked on her door and asked if she was going to dinner.

"I thought you were gravely ill," responded Aerith flatly. Yuffie said she had recovered. Then she flew to Joshua to ask where they were eating. Joshua turned to Neku and Noel and asked their opinion. When Sora attempted joining in, Noel turned his back so that the triangle closed.

"I really like that burger joint in the valley," Noel explained. "The one near the concert hall."

"The hall that does synthwave nights?" asked Joshua.

"Synthwave?" Neku nearly cried. Joshua rolled his eyes.

"All the waves, Neku. You'd know if you went out with me on Saturday nights."

"Hm."

"They had some pretty good waves back home," Sora tried adding in in a nonchalant way. "In the Besaid Sea." Three sets of confused eyes fell upon him before Noel cracked up laughing.

Sora decided it was time to go back to Aerith and Yuffie. When he got there, Wakka was introducing himself along with Nao. He seemed tired. When Sora asked what was wrong, he shook his head and muttered something unintelligible. Nao was asking if Sota could come along with their group.

"Yeah, invite the whole fucking first class to our strategy meeting," Neku called in irritation. Yuffie's responding cackle made him shoot her a sour glance. Joshua announced that whoever wanted to come needed to get there in the next ten minutes. Just when enough people had gathered to leave, Nimo jogged out from the school with Riku trudging behind.

"Sorry for being late," Nimo murmured, shooting an dazzling smile Aerith's way. Aerith responded with a deep blush and nodded for him to walk with her. Nimo put his hands in his jean pockets and nudged her arm when he reached her side. She laughed. Sota had joined the overall group. He and Nao were deep in conversation with Neku. Joshua and Noel were arguing about something. Wakka was speaking with Shiki and a tall tan girl with long blond hair and massive pink glasses. Yuffie was talking to a guy named Garth and a tomboyish girl in a red sports bra and black Adidas sweatpants. Sora thought her name was Makoto. When Sora glanced around for stragglers he caught sight of Riku.

It was a rare sight to see the boy alone these days. But his condition seemed self-imposed. He chugged along with his hands deep in the pockets of his blue chaps. If he had had a collar on his top, it would have been pulled around his ears to block human contact. On his face drew the sourest expression Sora had ever seen, a terrible cross between rage, melancholy, and confusion. When Shiki tried spiriting him into the main fold, he shot her such a foul glare that she turned around and slipped away as fast as possible. Sora decided to walk with him.

"Hey, friend," he chirped as he moved to Riku's side. The boy looked at Sora like he was invisible. Far ahead, Nimo called his name. Riku snapped out of whatever funk he was in and jogged over, leaving Sora on his own. Ahead rose the rubber canopies, the sound of gushing water, and the sweet smell of fat and meat.

The party had made it to the burger joint. It was packed full of academy kids, from first years to seniors. Luckily Joshua and Neku had made reservations yesterday. They got their tables quickly. Once everyone was seated with menus in hand, they began ordering. Aerith sat with Nimo on one side and Noel on the other. Yuffie lounged at his shoulder glancing around. Whenever she caught sight of a familiar face, she'd scream across the dining floor and wave. Sora tried laughing and joining in with the raucous talk happening around him, but for some reason he was beginning to feel dizzy. He heard Riku ask how they planned to strategize over the noise. Sora agreed in silence. For some reason, his guts were swimming and his mouth was parched. He did not know if it was because of the noise, the bad eighties beats, the hot neon signs plastered around the joint, the smell of fat grease and smoke, or the fact that the last time he ate here he had vomited on the way home. The mere memory of Vanitas' high kick to his stomach was enough to make Sora puke all over again.

"Oh my goddess, is that who I think it is?" screeched Yuffie in Sora's ear. When Sora turned he nearly had a heart attack. A group of Shinra employees lead by Reno stood at the head of the joint along with an unfamiliar man with long, silver hair and snake like eyes. When Reno glanced towards the table of first years, Sora barked and hid beneath. Yuffie laughed. Sora glanced up to see if the red terror had disappeared. Instead, Reno's patent leather dress shoes shuffled right for Sora's chair.

"What are you all doing going to dinner with midterms right around the corner?" Sora heard a nasal, sing song voice chuckle above.

"We're strategizing!" chirped Yuffie.

"Grouping up. How smart," responded a sensuous, baritone voice from Reno's side. Gave Sora goose bumps. Why did it smell like vomit and pee beneath this table? For some reason the tabletop was vibrating. Sora realized it was from his trembling legs too late.

"Why is Sora hiding under the table?" asked Reno.

 _"Son of a nutcracker,"_ Sora thought to himself. He tried looking for a stray coin or something as a cover for hiding. But there was nothing but soggy fries and dry lettuce.

"Just lost a dollar bill," he heard himself croak. He decided to stay under as long as possible, digging his hands around the ground to make it seem like he was looking. When he padded around Noel's shoe, the boy kicked at him and told him to stop playing footsie. Riku snapped for him to get up and be serious.

"You all should try the music hall nearby," announced Reno in response to some question Sora had not heard. "I hear they're doing synthwave tonight. They've got a live band playing at nine thirty."

Why was Reno giving the first years partying tips on a school night? Was he trying to sabotage them? Sora wondered how close to ten it was. He was due back at the library to help close in an hour.

"Want to split some cheese fries with me, Sora?" Yuffie asked. Before Sora could respond, a first year table across her way caught her attention and she was gone.

"I know Seph loves some good synthwave on a night off," said Reno to the man at his side. The deep, sensuous voice laughed. He seemed to be speaking with Aerith, who responded with a soft, nervous whisper. "Still looking for that dollar, Sora?" asked Reno, kicking Sora's yellow sneaker sole. Sora yelped and hit his head on the underside of the table, eliciting a laugh from everyone seated around him. Suddenly Reno was pulling Sora's chair away and hunkering on all fours at his side.

"Want help?" he asked. When he glanced behind him he grinned in satisfaction. The eye of every first year girl in the establishment was trained on his backside. Sora muttered that he must have lost his cash on the road.

"Nah, let's have a look," Reno responded, grinning like a Cheshire cat at the girlish giggles erupting around him. He fished a flashlight from his pocket and swept it over the old fries and broken lettuce leaves around the table legs.

"There it is!" the red head chirped. Stuck beneath the bottom of the booth bench across was a crumpled five-dollar bill.

"Ah…" Sora gulped in dejection, adding that it wasn't his. Reno shrugged and said he'd just won five dollars. He reached over Sora's shoulder to get it, leaning so close that Sora could taste his cologne. That added with the puke and piss smell wafting from the carpet below threatened to make the boy faint. From across the dining area a bullish, grating voice asked who Reno was under the table with. Then it cackled. A vision of Vanitas kicking Sora in the spine sailed through Sora's mind. When Reno tried handing him the five dollars from beneath the booth, he frowned.

"You don't look so good, kid," he muttered.

Sora gulped and shoved past him until he was crawling across the dining hall on all fours. Voices were bubbling and meshing together around him. Wherever Sora glanced, he thought he saw Vanitas. Every blond looked like Ventus or Roxas. Every silverette was Riku, every red head Reno. Sora shoved past them all until he made it from the dining area to the balcony he and Sota had eaten at on their first week of school. As Sora burst forth, a couple nearby glanced up in fright. Sora pressed past them towards the balcony railing overlooking the mangrove and rubber forests. It was warm tonight. But the water was cool.

The balcony lined the burger joint on three sides. The middle held the main balcony entrance, three wide glass sliding doors lined with thick grilles. The joint's side balconies were thinner. The left held the kitchen and bathroom. The right must have been attached to an office room, because there was only one window on that side, and it was small and unlit. When Sora fled to this deserted side and felt cool darkness wash over him, he wiped the sweat from his brow and leaned over the water, sucking in deep breaths to keep him from fainting. Nausea came in waves. Whenever he heard someone laugh or screech, or when the smell of burger meat wafted its way towards him on the drifting wind, it got worse. Soon it was so bad he found himself retching. On the third retch his lunch came up and plopped right into the black water below. Dry chunks floated on its back like tiny, bubbling boats. Soon fish were eating them.

"Gross," Sora croaked as a massive, whiskered mouth scarfed several in one go before disappearing beneath the waves. Then he threw up again. More chunks. More nasty fish. Sora's head swam. When he retched again, there was nothing left. Exhausted, he slipped down the balcony railing and sat on the wood planked ground, wiping tears from his eyes and bile from his chin.

"Hey!" called a familiar voice from the middle balcony. Sora groaned at the sound. Aerith. He attempted standing and leaning back over the balcony like he wanted to see the water. More voices drew behind her. Sota, Wakka, Shiki, Joshua, Nao, Neku, and Yuffie. Even Noel was pulling up the rear asking what had happened. Probably showing off for the girls. Sora wanted to beat his head against the wall and disappear beneath the mangrove-infested waves like the fish who'd eaten his vomit. But he figured that would cause a scene too big for him to handle.

"I'm aye-okay, guys," he warbled at the approaching students, trying to stop his body from shaking. Suddenly an innumerable amount of hands were sliding around him in an attempt to diagnose. Sora dodged them by crawling between their legs. On his way back inside the joint, he muttered that he had promised to help Belle close the library and needed to go. As people argued over who would take him back Sora slipped from the first year table and out into fresh air again. When he met with hard packed soil, he started running and didn't stop until the burger joint disappeared and the peaks of the academy rose from the canopies in the distance. He had never been so relieved in his life. Just as he slowed his jog to a shaky walk, he heard pattering footsteps behind. Someone was calling his name. When he turned, his shoulders sagged.

Sota was charging towards him yelling for him to stop. He had a weird, breathless smile on his face that read "good cop." Sora sulked and trudged forward, contemplating trying to run away again. Before long Sota was walking by his side, panting and chuckling.

"Man, you scared us back there," he breathed, shaking his head. Sora was unresponsive, so Sota continued, "no one knew where you'd gone. Reno was the first one to go after you. Then everyone else got interested. I admit, I was a little too into Nao to see you run onto the balcony. Reno offered to take you home, but I said I would instead. Too bad you didn't get to order. Yuffie wanted to split cheese fries with you- WOAH!"

Sora had stumbled and fallen. When Sota moved to catch him, the younger boy squawked that he was fine and started walking again. Sota fell silent. A pleasant breath of wind filtered overhead, making him turn his dark face to the sky and flutter his eyes closed.

"Can you believe its autumn?" he murmured. "At least its cooler than it was when we first got here. Rainforest takes the moisture right out of you."

Sora found himself chuckling. He was very dehydrated. But that wasn't necessarily the forest's fault. His lips were chapped, too.

"I didn't know you worked at the library!" Sota chirped. Sora chanced a shrug, muttering that he just volunteered.

"That's nice," Sota remarked. "Hey, if you finish early, you can head back and hang out with the gang. We might head for that concert hall. I can wait for you if you like. There's a book I wanted to have a look at, anyway."

"You have to volunteer to be in the library after ten," Sora muttered. In reply Sota shrugged and said he might volunteer. Then he started talking about synthwave and how he and Nao loved dancing back home. When Sota asked if Sora liked dancing, the boy shook his head. Then he mumbled that he wouldn't be coming back with them.

"You're going to spend the whole night on your own?" Sota asked. Sora nodded. When he asked if they knew he had thrown up, Sota shook his head. There was more silence. The white stones leading to the bridge to the mountain path were poking through the grassy ground ahead.

"Hey," Sora chanced.

"Yeah?" Sota responded.

"Can you tell them I was funny?"

"What?" asked Sota in confusion. Sora huffed in embarrassment.

"I mean, can you say that I was funny! Like we had a bunch of cool jokes on the way back!"

"You want me to tell them we told cool jokes?"

"Yeah! Just say I acted normal! Like a normal, funny, mature guy. Tell them that I just wanted to look at the water for a second before I left. Tell them there was a mean bass under the waves that I had my eye on."

"You want me to tell them you were flirting with a fish?"

"No!" Sora barked. Sota responded with a laugh so disarming it made Sora chuckle. But soon, melancholy rendered him silent again. When Sota asked what was wrong, Sora shrugged.

"Just…" he muttered. Then he asked if Riku had come on the balcony to see if he was okay. Sota shook his head.

"Oh," Sora responded. His vision was clouding with moisture. "Well," he started, continuing after a pause, "it's just that… I guess I'm a little miffed at the way Riku is treating me. Just the look he gave me on the way here was very… hurtful." Then he shrugged and began to sob. For a moment Sota stood in shock. Then he wrapped his hand around Sora's shoulder and rubbed his arm. Sora sobbed harder. Sota practically had to hold him on their way up the mountain path. As they walked Sora complained.

"It's just been so stressful," he cried. "I don't know if I can take it."

"It's okay, Sora," Sota responded, teary eyed himself. "This school is a fucking torture chamber."

"But I wanna be a hero!" Sora wailed in return. Sota laughed and wiped at his eyes, sighing, "If I didn't know any better I'd say this was a school for villains."

"It sure feels like it sometimes…"

"I mean, we can always leave, right? Home wasn't so bad."

"You can't leave, Sota! You're one of my only friends."

"Well, shit," Sota laughed, patting Sora's arm. "Can't expect me to betray an honor that high."

"Are you making fun of me?" sniffed Sora. Sota laughed and shook his head, patting Sora's arm again.

"I'm not making fun of you, Sora," he murmured. "But you should at least come out with us on the weekend."

"After midterms?"

"Yeah, if not this week, next week."

"Maybe I will," Sora sighed, adding, "but only if you guys are there."

"You can go with Nao and I," Sota tried. Then he winked. "We're pretty fun when we try to be."

"I'm sure…" Sora grinned. They were nearly to the forecourt, now. As they made their way through the arch and onto the mosaic, Sora tugged at Sota's jacket. When the older boy raised his bleach blond brows in expectation, Sora bit his lip.

"Um…" he started, sheepish. Sota leaned closer to hear him better.

"Don't tell them I cried, okay?" Sora whispered. Sota closed his eyes and nodded. "Anything else?" he added. Sora pursed his lips in thought.

"Tell them I was independent," he said. "Tell them I was bummed that I couldn't stay, and that I wanted a burger. And tell them I didn't leave because of Reno, or because of the dollar. Tell them I left because I had to."

"Yeah, you had to throw up," Sota laughed.

"I'm being serious!" Sora pleaded. "You can't make them think I'm any more of a loser than I already am!"

"You're not a loser, Sora," Sota responded. "Half of them will probably forget about it by the middle of the night." When Sora's eyes welled up again, Sota amended that he'd come up with something good.

"I'm counting on you," Sora grinned through tears. Sota smiled and wiped at Sora's eyes, telling him to pull himself together. Sora nodded and wiped his face on the side of his short sleeve jacket. As Sota watched, his lips curled in disgust.

"You're going to grow out of that romper soon, you know," he muttered. "You may want to find a less restrictive outfit."

"I'll deal with it next semester," Sora sighed. Then he gave Sota a hug and told him to have fun. Sota grinned and said he would. He asked if Sora was sure he didn't want to party after closing the library. Sora said he was sure. Sota grinned and jogged back to the village below, waving as he disappeared down the mountain. Once he was gone, Sora sighed and crept through the front double doors, peering towards the library as he went. The clock above read 9:30. A few stray students were reading in the cubbies near the library's front. Belle sat behind the desk with another novel in her hands. When she saw Sora coming she grinned and asked if he would go up to the kitchen.

"I heard the culture club had leftovers from their potluck today. Honey Lemon saved me some tabbouleh and black bean salad. I'll let you eat some if you bring it down."

Sora nodded and headed from the library to the second floor. After returning to his dorm bathroom to brush the bile from his teeth and wash his face he got Belle's food from the kitchen and brought it down. By then it was five till ten. For his last few minutes of freedom he tried collecting the magic books Aqua would not let him check out the day before, along with " _No Pun Intended, Volume Too_." When he had them at his side, he sat behind the desk with Belle and read through a few pages, laughing as he went. Thirty minutes ago he was sick as a dog. Now the smell of the tabbouleh was making his stomach growl.

"Want some?" Belle asked. Sora nodded with vigor. Belle got a paper plate and plastic fork from one of the library desk drawers and spooned some tabbouleh and bean salad on. Sora watched hungrily until the food was set before him. When he got the fork in his hand, his stomach growled again.

"Wow!" Belle laughed, pointing to his belly with a grin. "You sound like you haven't eaten all day!"

"I did eat lunch, but it didn't stay with me…" Sora laughed, taking a big bite from the bean salad with glee.

"I'm sorry," Belle murmured. Then she asked if Sora felt better now. Sora nodded, responding that his stomach would not be growling if he did not.

"Everyone went to the burger joint in the valley and the smell and noise got to me," he explained.

"You're probably nervous about midterms," Belle added. "I know I am."

"Yeah, I chucked up everything and then cried on the way back," Sora chirped. Then the color left his face.

"Please don't tell anyone I said that," he begged. It made Belle laugh.

"Oh please," she sighed. "Your secret is safe with me. At least you're not in love with a giant dog lion with tusks."

"What?" Sora asked.

"Nothing," Belle snapped in reply. She was suddenly very interested in the overdue accounts on the computer. Thirty more minutes in silence passed before the food was finished and Sora and Belle decided to clean up. As Sora picked up stray books left throughout the aisles, he thought of how much fun everyone in the valley was having without him. He pondered how nice Sota had been to him, imagining what it would be like to go dancing with he and Nao. Across the isle Belle started humming. For some reason it made Sora think of Kairi. He had barely seen her in weeks. He did not think she had been in the burger joint earlier on. If she had, surely she would have seen him running to the balcony and gone to help him. Or would she? The thought of her ignoring him like Riku made Sora grimace with worry.

"You alright, Sora?" Belle asked. When he snapped from his reverie, he chirped that he was fine. Then he sorted around the stray books under his arm and put them on the correct shelves. When the clock chimed twelve, Belle and Sora tidied up the library floor, closed the blinds on the windows, and began shutting off lights and locking up. At half past, they were finished. Once they made it into the school's front hall and locked the remaining door, Belle said goodnight and good luck.

"For what?" responded Sora.

"The midterm!" Belle beamed. "Library is closed early on Thursday. I won't need you again till next week."

"Oh," Sora responded. He offered to walk Belle to the girl's dorm hall. When they were there, Belle offered Sora final well wishes. All he could muster in return was a weak laugh. Then Belle was gone, and Sora was once again left meandering through the dark halls of the school on his own.

* * *

 **Thank you for all the well wishes! I'll try to update more frequently. I write ahead so I can edit in bulk, so it's amusing hearing everyone's thoughts and theories. Just know that the story will continue. Until next time~**


	31. Combat Midterms

In his silent sulking hours during the rest of midterm week, Sora discovered a slot for headphones in the side of the alarm clock and stopwatch Argento gifted him in his first week of school. With it, he could turn up the alarm volume as loud as he wanted. When Joshua asked why he had started sleeping with headphones, Sora lied and said he was listening to music to calm himself down. Neku glanced knowingly towards him as he said it. Perhaps he did the same thing. Sora also had extended training sessions every day with Gouken, the school's martial arts guru, and Usher, instructor for Class Level F, the lowest class level for the first year student body. He was not allowed to work with Argento or Roxas, but Yuffie, Aerith, and Leon came by occasionally to give him tips on training. In his pre-midterm probation officer meeting on Thursday, Axel wished him luck. Helpless without a weapon or magic, Sora turned to his lock-picking book as his only course of study. On Thursday night, though exhaustion clung deep, Sora found himself unable to fall asleep. The letters of the chapter on picking dead bolts turned to strange pictographs that Sora could not understand as his eyes shifted across the page. Deep in the night Sora decided to rest his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, the music of his alarm was vibrating around his skull. When he checked the time, he noticed it was thirty minutes till class began.

In panic Sora jumped up and whizzed to the communal bathroom with his toiletries. When he got inside, he found it insanely crowded. Every sink and toilet stall was taken. People in the showers were ten times louder than usual. And nerves ran high. When Sora noticed two boys getting into a fight because one bumped into the other passing the lockers, he decided he would cut his losses and use one of the public bathrooms near the grand hall. After changing in one of the stalls, he shuffled to a sink, slipped his romper from over his shoulders, and washed under his arms and around his neck, face, and ears. When he was finished he patted himself down with his towel and brushed his teeth. Then he dropped his toiletries off at his dorm, got his midterm paperwork together, and charged to the grand hall for what the other students called a "quarterly meeting." Eraqus made a small speech imploring everyone to do their best. Nametags and number stickers were handed out along with a midterm uniform that looked like a tracksuit. Separate changing stations had been set up per gender. Once everyone was ready with nametags attached and stickers pasted on the back of their track tops, separate classes were grouped together for the semi-annual health check and school wide warm up: a yoga session and a run around the peaks.

Sora shuffled towards his fellow first years as the entire academy student body thundered to the forecourt. The senior class lined up first. The junior class lined up behind. Sora and his classmates took the rear. Argento stood ahead. With her right hand she adjusted the whistle in her mouth. Her left she held clasped behind her back. Once the whistle was in place she swept her right hand high in the air. When the hand fell and the whistle blew, the seniors took off down the mountain path surrounding the school. The rest of the student body kicked behind.

As the distance between fast and slow students grew, Sora began spotting trends. Those disappearing ahead had a fire in their eyes and a tremble of excitement in their limbs. Those at the rear trudged along like ghosts, with sunken eyes and tired steps. Amongst them were Hayner, Pence, Olette, Shiki, Wakka, Mulan, Fuu, Nao and Rai. Like Sora, they looked as though they had not slept a wink. Dead ahead was Sota, who appeared to be running slower than his energy suggested. Sora wondered if he was waiting for Nao. Sure enough, Sota turned around to check on her. Then he whistled a song they both seemed to know. It made Nao speed up. Soon the pair was running ahead, side by side. It made Sora smile. Suddenly he wondered where Kairi was. He had not seen her in the grand hall or during checkups. When he asked Olette if she had seen her, she said that the Class P students had been called early. With furrowed brows Sora glanced towards the summit. That was apparently where the yoga session was being held. The valley below would house their exam.

With the run satisfied, the student body lumbered onto the summit and took a place they liked. A man with a turban, loincloth, and red tattoos headed the class. The thrum of his voice eclipsed the mountain and threatened to put Sora to sleep. As each muscle relaxed into the exercises, his vision blurred. When he began to snore someone kneed him in the arm. He snapped to attention. The instructor was staring straight at him. As the man slipped a notebook from his turban to scribble in, Sora tried imitating deep meditation. The session finished. By this time Sora was so tired he could hardly keep upright. Together the first years traipsed to the valley. When they passed the palm and rubber trees to be bathed in valley sun, they winced and looked around in confusion. Scattered across the green were what looked like massive boxes covered in purple curtains. On either side of the set up rose bleachers, and it seemed as though the entire student body was sitting down to watch.

Sora recognized faces of teachers, Shinra employees, kitchen and cleanup staff, and fellow students as they chatted and laughed through mouthfuls of what looked like tarts and kettle corn. Was the final for the upperclassmen a massive party? When Sora squinted harder he met eyes with Reno, sitting side by side with a bald, dark man with sunglasses in deep laughter. Several rows down sat Axel and the rest of Organization Thirteen; including Sora's solo performance professor, Larxene. She laughed with Marluxia. As Sora watched Axel's wandering eyes, the red head met his glance. Axel gave Sora a nod and salute. Sora responded with a gulp. Then Argento sauntered to the middle of the valley and called everyone's attention.

"Welcome all," she announced, "to the end of combat midterms!" To this the student body roared approval, beating their feet against the bleacher seats and clapping their hands as they rose. Argento smiled as she watched. Then she continued, "Please feel free to stomp, cheer, hiss, throw, or distract in whatever way you see fit. Our one rule is that you may not enter the playing field. Penalty for misbehavior is expulsion. I welcome Rosso to read through testing instructions."

As Argento receded, Rosso stepped forward with a packet of paper.

"Freshman midterm vill be timed to thirty minutes," she called. "Freshman vill release and protect teammate from Clazz P. If Clazz P teammate is stolen, freshman loses. If Clazz P teammate remains in cage, freshman loses. If team makes it to safe zone before time wiz Clazz P teammate, freshman wins. Instructor may not kill or maim freshman. Freshman must be in peak health for midterms ze following week."

The freshman class glanced around in terror as Rosso tore the packet in half and turned. As she receded, Azul lumbered in her place.

"All teams in place!" he boomed. The teams charged about in confusion until they noticed seven numbered chalk circles indented into the grass in a ring around the field's center. When each team situated themselves inside their number, Azul boomed that leaving the circle early would result in disqualification of the entire team. Immediately Sora felt six eyes train on him. He gulped.

"Reveal the cages!" Azul roared. Suddenly the purple curtains covering the scattered boxes poofed into thin air. Beneath were wrought iron bars. Inside the cages were the members of freshman Class P.

"Kairi!" Sora screamed, lunging over the white line. Before his feet could touch disqualifying grass a strong hand fell on his shoulder and wrenched him back. When the boy barring him turned, he noticed it was Nimo.

"Ruin this for the rest of us and we'll make you regret it forever," hissed the boy. The rest of the team barring Shiki and Neku grumbled approval. Sora's heart dropped. But he nodded and stayed crouching, trying not to shake.

Kairi looked livid. She pulled at her cage like a wild animal, screeching curses at the freshman instructors as tears fell from her eyes. The rest of the kids in cages either tried to escape or sat in trembling fear. A few sang mournfully. Sora recognized Aerith, her roommates Audrey and Anna, Honey Lemon, and Belle. She appeared to be cursing as well.

As Sora called his friends' names, a buzzer blew. Gusts of air whizzed past him. Once all his classmates left their circles, Sora realized that they were running for the cages. Scrambling up and charging forward, he followed them towards Aerith.

As soon as Xehanort Nimoy reached her, he told her to stand at the back of the cage and cast protective magic. Aerith nodded and used her metal staff to cast a barrier around herself. From air Nimo materialized a strange, neon aqua and black key blade with clocks and hourglasses inlaid on its blade, handle, and the small chain extending from its tail. The face of a demonic creature with sharp metal horns growled at its top, while the aqua eye above the clock lining its handle blinked at Sora with a sly stare. Darkness emanated from the mouth of the bladed face until it engulfed Nimo's entire body. It crawled around the lock of the cage until there was a click. Then, the cage door swung open and Aerith stumbled into Nimo's arms.

"Five minutes until instructor interference," Azul thundered, gripping his cannon excitedly in his arm. Rosso and Weiss grinned with glee behind him. Argento clicked her tongue in anticipation. Usher, Shelke, and Nero remained motionless.

"We have to find our end zone," called Nimo. As the rest of the group huddled around Aerith to protect her, Sora glanced back at the rest of the teams.

Roxas, Ventus, and a girl with black hair the same length as Kairi's were using key blades to open the locks on the cages as well. The other teams were faltering. Honey Lemon was conducting some feverish science experiment on her lock from within her cage. The rest of her team assisted her with spells until the lock corroded from the inside. Down the line, Honey Lemon's friend Gogo and Rose Wilson fiddled with their team's lock mechanics until it popped. The only team left to its own devices was Hayner's. As the rest of his team massacred the cage to no avail and Hayner called for them to stop, Aerith's roommate Audrey cowered in terror within. Irvine shot bullets at the lock that exploded in all directions. One remnant burned a hole through Audrey's skirt. Wally West ran around the cage at lightning speed until the momentum from his stride lifted it from the ground in a fiery tornado. From above, Umewaka used the claw end of her chain sickle to clamp the lock and drive it towards her. Instead of breaking the door from the cage's hinges, the cage rotated in midair until its doorwall flipped up and one of its barred sides crashed into the ground, causing Audrey to fall backwards and hit her head.

"Stop it!" Sora screeched, charging away from his teammates. When he reached Audrey's cage side, Umewaka snapped for him to disappear.

"You're going to hurt her if you keep throwing her around!" Sora barked. Then he climbed the cage until he was straight above the lock. He rubbed his head in an effort to remember the chapter from his lock-picking book on keyed padlocks. Then he asked if anyone had some hairpins and a small blade.

"I think I have a seam ripper in my pocket!" Audrey called up to him. Then she undid her hair and gave him five bobby pins. When Sora fashioned the seam ripper and bobby pins into a suitable weapon, he used it to fiddle with the cage padlock.

"Two minutes until instructor interference," Azul boomed. Sweat dripped from Sora's brow. The teams around him were struggling to find their end zones. Hayner cheered him on from behind. Finally the lock clicked open. With a cry of delight Sora threw the door open and reached down to take Audrey's hand. Before he could clasp it, Umewaka and a girl named Karin threw him to the valley ground and extracted Audrey themselves.

"Instructor interference has begun!" Azul boomed, slamming his right fist into the ground. Broadswords of stone sliced up through the earth around it, traveling in a diagonal and splintering through the entire valley. A vicious quake eclipsed the green. The ground below Audrey's cage tore in half. The bottom half of the cage slid through like butter. Before the hole could engulf the rest, Audrey lunged from her teammates' arms to safety. As she watched the cage sink completely, a spiral of red hurtled above her. When it landed and spun around, a massive two-ended blade materialized from its folds. Rosso.

Umewaka engaged her in vicious combat as she commanded the rest of the team to find the safe zone. Before they could move, Weiss reached them by air and clasped Audrey to his chest. No one lasted long against him. After silencing their protest with the butt end of his pistols, he jumped with her through the air and onto one of the bleacher ends.

"Team four loses!" Azul howled with laughter as he mowed into team two with his cannon. One by one every freshman professor steamrolled into the playing field to take down every student they set their eye on. Once Rosso was certain Umewaka and Hayner's team was finished, she laughed and sailed for another.

"Any losing team still on the field after one minute will be expelled!" roared Argento midfield. Hayner and his teammates scrambled for the bleachers. The crowd surrounding them went wild. Sora looked around for his own team.

"We have to work together!" Ventus called out leftfield. Joshua swept his team towards them immediately. When Roxas tried spiriting his own as well, his team leader Watsuwaka told him to follow her directions. Cloud Strife, Xion's team leader, behaved similarly. But when his friend Tifa called him forward, he begrudgingly headed his team towards the rest of the pack.

As the three teams collided and placed their Class P teammates protectively at the center of the pack, Sora asked his own team if they wanted to join. Noel snapped for him to shut up. They were busy trying to locate the end zones on their own. When Sora attempted guarding Aerith, Riku roared for him to act as a distraction. In anger Sora stomped towards the other teams, trying to find someone who might need his help.

The group of three teams was being attacked on all sides by five of the instructors. Belle's team stood stranded in centefield, unable to join them. As Azul, Nero, and Argento pounded down on the massive group, Rosso and Weiss made way for Belle. While Weiss engaged Belle's team leader, Marceline, Rosso hunted Belle. Seeing the distraction, Marceline transformed into a giant, tentacled beast that knocked Rosso off her feet. As Belle jumped onto one of Marceline's tentacles to run towards her, Weiss brought his katana between them. The force from the cut made Marceline scream in pain. Belle was knocked through the air and onto the grass fifteen feet away. As she struggled to stand, Rosso rushed to collect her. But before she could curl her arm around Belle's shoulder, a voice from inside the collection of three teams screeched "no!"

Kairi rushed from the inner folds of the conglomerate group to wild roars of disapproval, charging for Belle as though her life depended on it. Soon Belle sprinted to her as well. When Azul and Nero noticed the lone Class P runners, they charged towards them with fire in their eyes. But before anyone could reach them, Kairi and Belle wrapped each other in their arms and shut their eyes tight.

A blast of strong pink light engulfed the valley as a force field descended around them. As Azul, Rosso, and Nero brought down each of their weapons over the girls' heads, the force from the pink shield blew them back into the bleachers. When Kairi and Belle opened their eyes they gaped at their newfound power. Then, screeching with joy, they ran towards Watsuwaka's straggling team and called out to Aurora, whose chest shone with the same pink light. Once all three girls clasped hands they rushed back towards the conglomerate team. Their protectors charged towards them like a herd of rhinos. Just before the three girls reached them a blue, twinkling ring shone in the grass between. When they stepped within it, a buzzer sounded.

"Teams two, five, and six win!" called Azul in dejection. Kairi, Aurora, and Belle screamed and hugged each other until they realized they had one minute to clear the field. As Joshua and Ventus' teams were left to their own devices, they called for their Class P team members to hold hands like Kairi, Belle, and Aurora had done. But the pink shining light was gone.

Ignoring the group of two teams, the seven professors swept straight for Sora's group. The five of them formed a protective barrier around Aerith, who healed and shielded them with magic as she saw fit. Joshua and Ventus' group called out to them. But every time Sora's team attempted moving, one of the professors blocked their path. Soon, Ventus and Joshua's teams decided to search for the end zones on their own. Sora's group was left to themselves.

"Ten minutes!" boomed Azul. "One team to each end zone!"

Ventus and Joshua looked towards one another in shock. If one of their teams found an end zone, the other team would have to fend for itself. Grimly Ventus used his key blade to seek out the hidden end zone rings. The rest of the teams utilized whatever tools they possessed. Nao, Honey Lemon, and Yuffie worked together. When Nao spotted blue sparkles amongst the blades of grass in the distance, she cried out. Honey Lemon sprinted forward and was engulfed in blue light. In the chaos, Anna, Ventus' Class P teammate, was swept into the air and taken into the bleachers. The buzzer sounded twice.

"Group three wins, group seven loses!" Azul cackled. There was only one group left. Sora's. As Ventus slammed his key blade to the ground in defeat, Nimo, Riku, and Noel shot each other grim glances. They knew they only had five minutes. And now, seven instructors would be on their backs.

Riku was so far away Sora could not tell what weapon he wielded. As far as he could see the boy was shooting dark flames from his hands. As usual Aerith protected the other five with magic drawn from her staff. Though sleep drew Sora's eyelids closed, he noticed Weiss and Rosso exchange words. They were staring at Aerith's staff. Weiss returned to hitting the team from the front as Rosso disappeared into the clouds behind. Riku and Nimo exchanged words with Neku, Shiki, and Noel. The three strongest knelt around Aerith as if in preparation of something. A bolt of red fell from above.

 _"She's going to smash right through the middle of them,"_ Sora thought to himself. As Riku, Nimo, and Noel closed their eyes, Aerith whispered to them. They were forming some sort of invisible force field. Rosso would break right through it. Several feet away, Sora spotted blue twinkling light in the grass. An end zone.

"I found it!" he screeched, rushing towards his team and flailing his arms. None of the instructors bothered mowing him down. They must not have known what a true threat he was.

"Guys, get out of the way!" Sora cried, swiping his hands ahead of him. The rest of the team was too engrossed to respond. Rosso was meters away from Aerith's head. As she descended, she curled around and prepared to stab her blade in the ground.

"No!" Sora cried. Before he knew it he was mowing right through the middle of his team. The distraction broke the force field Aerith, Nimo, and Riku created. All three tumbled to the ground just as Rosso landed between them. The force of her descent blasted the team in every which direction. Just as Rosso grabbed Aerith in her arms and swung her metal staff away so she could not cast magic, Nimo screeched, "no!" The remaining Tsviets distracted Sora's the rest of Sora's team. Rosso cackled and jumped through the air. As she made for the bleachers, Aerith bit her hand. Rosso yelped and let her go. The auburn girl tumbled to the ground and dashed for her staff. As she fled a flurry of black flame seared towards her. Just as Rosso prepared to descend again, the black flame dissipated and Riku's blistering form swept from within, into the sky. Sora watched in wonder as he materialized a black winged key blade from the darkness emanating from his arms. As Rosso dove towards him, Riku reeled his blade arm back. With a cry he drove the key blade right through Rosso's chest. As she gasped the rest of the instructors froze in shock.

The key blade disappeared and Rosso crashed to the ground. As Riku guarded Aerith's path she rushed for the remaining end zone. Nimo guarded her from Weiss, and Noel took Nero. Azul rushed for Rosso with a wail. Argento remained too shocked to move. Usher and Shelke attempted taking Neku and Shiki together. Before he knew it, Sora was running for Aerith's side. Along the way he felt a dip in the grass catch his foot. He fell and hit his nose. The last thing he saw before his vision blurred black was Aerith's brown boots sailing over the end zone ring. A cry of delight from the bleacher crowd roared through the air as his hearing slipped to silence.

* * *

When Sora awoke he was lying in an infirmary cot. Urgent cries and the clang of metal wheels and medical equipment clattered around him with a mountain of footsteps.

"Is she still breathing?"

"Cast another stop spell."

"We need the princesses to extract the darkness."

"We only know of one!"

"No. Now we have four."

"FOUR?"

"Three were discovered during the midterms."

"Do they know how to utilize their powers?"

"It's not rocket science."

"Well, let's bring them in with the rest of the masters of light."

Sora peeked one eye open in curiosity. Someone rushed past him into the hall. Soon Eraqus, the old man with the wizard cap, the bald man with yellow eyes, the mouse, Aqua, Terra, Vanitas, Ventus, Xehanort Nimoy, Roxas, and the Kairi lookalike with black hair, traipsed into the infirmary together. Upon reaching the crowded back of the room they huddled behind a translucent curtain shielding a cot from view. As they circled the cot, they whispered with what sounded like Shinra and Organization Thirteen employees. Someone told Roxas to get Kairi, Aurora, and Belle. Though Sora's heart beat in anticipation, he pretended to sleep. Roxas swept past him without looking twice.

"Should we contact Riku?" asked Axel. "He assaulted a professor."

"She isn't going to die, is she?"

"She shall be incapacitated for some time. Expulsion may be on the table."

"I mean if it weren't for Sora jumping on his own team, they would have won fair and square."

"Pardon me," murmured the bald man with yellow eyes, "but Riku, a boy of such power, might be safer under our watchful eye than sent home to his doleful 'Destiny Islands.'"

"He was protecting his team," Xehanort Nimoy announced. "Rosso is known to hurt students. She disemboweled Sora. Aerith bit her hand. Who's to know what she could have done in anger?"

"It will be reviewed," Eraqus snapped. "Are the wielders of light ready?"

Through the infirmary door walked Roxas and the three "princesses." Kairi, Aurora, and Belle sauntered together to Rosso's cot, asking what needed to be done. Behind them drew a girl in a long blue dress. When she reached their side she touched their shoulders.

"I will show you," she whispered. As the four girls drew close, the warm pink light that had emanated on the battlefield sprinkled around them again. Their strength engulfed the entire room in warmth. As the four huddled around Rosso's chest, Eraqus, Aqua, the mouse, the man with the wizard cap, and Ventus raised their key blades at the same time. The rest of the wielders watched in silence. Suddenly, Rosso began sputtering and gasping. When Eraqus turned he noticed Riku standing in the infirmary door.

"What happened?" the boy called with clenched fists. Eraqus signaled for Nimo to take him away. With a nod Nimo took Riku by the shoulder and whispered to him. Riku glanced towards Sora with a hiss.

"Perhaps you should be concentrating on who's truly dangerous," he shouted, pointing to Sora's curled up form. "Incompetence is twice as vile as viciousness. If I wasn't trying to save my team, I wouldn't have done what I did." Then, after one final look of desperation, he and Nimo left.

* * *

 **Midterm exams have finally begun! How will Sora recover from his Combat midterm? What is happening to Riku? All will be revealed in coming attractions! And if all of you thought I couldn't be mean enough to Sora, well... brace yourselves. I promise I don't hate him. He's just a sweet kid in a dangerous place. Tune in next time to see Sora's combat score... and to see which first year is being expelled.**


	32. Friends Lost

**Warning: Strong Language**

* * *

Midterm results came out the following Tuesday. Instead of quietly distributing each child's combat grade with a wink and warm pat on the back, the scores were laminated and slapped right on the school's side wall. Though Sora dreaded to look at his score, he lumbered through the forecourt with the rest of his classmates to see who got what. When his eyes made contact with the list, his jaw dropped.

Kairi was number one. Sora feverishly read the rest of the order.

 _"_ _Kairi. Marceline. Xehanort. Watsuwaka. Cloud. Joshua. Belle. Aurora. Ventus. Umewaka. Riku. Roxas. Noel."_

Sora's mouth nearly hit the ground. Riku had skipped a whole skill class. Feverishly Sora searched for his own name. When he found it, his shoulders sagged.

He was last place. Utterly last. So far down the page he had to squint to read himself. Above him were Audrey, Anna, Olette, Hayner, Pence, Mulan, Wakka, Fuu, and Rai. Sora wondered what scoring last in a class of forty-nine meant. It certainly did not bode well for his probation officer meeting with Axel that afternoon.

As he walked up the familiar staircase leading to the school attic, the bells in the clock tower began to gong. Cursing, Sora charged the steps two at a time until he met face to face with the demon at the top. The man grinned like a Cheshire cat.

"Sora!" Axel beamed. "You're late!"

Sora's shoulders sagged as he apologized. Axel signaled for him to follow. Sora did. Soon they were in the makeshift office again, Axel settling himself and pulling out Sora's probation paperwork and expulsion slip as Sora seated himself gingerly across.

"What a day to be alive!" Axel sighed, righting himself and straightening Sora's paperwork in his grip. "Last place. That's a feat. Do you want to know your numerical score?"

Sora grumbled something between a yes and a no. Axel cleared his throat.

"Out of one hundred points, you scored zero. If negative scoring were allowed, you would be at a negative five for assisting another team."

Sora could not manage a reply. Axel continued.

"That means, as of now, your score in combat class is an F. Before it was a low D. But your midterm did bring it down a significant amount."

"Oh," Sora croaked. He was contemplating what he could possibly do to bribe Axel into not expelling him. Axel watched him with beady eyes as he mulled it over. When he asked what Sora was thinking, the boy shrugged.

"Club Midterms start this Wednesday," Axel murmured. "If you do well in those, you may make it to the end of the semester."

"The end of the semester?" Sora cried. Axel threw back his head and laughed.

"Yes, Sora. At this point there's no chance you'll recover a B in combat, and that means there's no chance you'll make it past winter break."

Sora and Axel stared each other down for a good three minutes. After collecting himself, Sora said that he could get A's on all of his club midterms and work harder in combat. Axel shook his head.

"Sora, I just told you. It is impossible."

"Nothing is impossible," Sora responded, attempting to hold back tears. Axel sighed and rubbed through his spiky crimson hair. Then he got out a piece of paper and a calculator.

"Let's do the math," he murmured, typing into the calculator as he spoke. "Your current grade is 36%, or an F. Your final is worth 40% of your grade. If you scored 100% on the final, the highest grade you could end the semester with is a 62%."

"Is there any extra credit?" Sora gulped. Axel shrugged.

"No," he sighed. "But let's say hypothetically that there is. Say they offer you twenty points of extra credit. You would sit at an 82%. That's a 3.48, and we don't round up. You need a 3.5 GPA or a janitorial position to stay in this school next semester. And we don't hire staff under eighteen."

"I'll be in danger if I go back on my own!" Sora pleaded. "Captain Gantu is out for me!"

"Sora, if it takes a portal of darkness and a personal suit of key blade armor, we will get you back to your island safe and sound," Axel cooed. Then he tapped Sora's paperwork on his makeshift desk and asked if Sora wanted to leave school voluntarily or be kicked out.

"What?" Sora gasped. Axel rolled his eyes.

"If you leave the school voluntarily you can audition again next year," he explained. "If you are expelled you cannot return."

Sora's heart dropped into his guts. He wasn't good with ultimatums. Pursing his lips, he asked how long he had to decide. Axel responded that he had to hand in his quittance form two weeks before the end of the semester, meaning he would be barred from taking the final exam. Sora sucked in and exhaled a deep breath. Then he asked what he had to do to get an A on his club midterms on Wednesday. Axel asked if he had written his midterm poem yet. Sora shook his head. Axel asked if he had memorized lines for the drag show. Sora shook his head again. When Axel inquired about Sora's personal petunia he responded that it was looking peppy. He added that he was working on his pun solo performance for Larxene. Axel shrugged.

"Your biggest problems are poetry and LGBTQ. Maybe you should concentrate on them. Find your experts and ask them to help you out."

Sora nodded and Axel dismissed him.

Sora kicked his yellow runners into the side of the banister as he trudged down the stairs to the school's second floor. When he got there, he heard what he thought was shouting coming from somewhere below. In curiosity he wandered towards the balcony hanging over the academy's front hall. When he reached it and leaned over, he gasped. Sota paced with his arms thrown to either side of him around the front hall below. Across from him stood Master Eraqus and a collection of professors and curious students. Sota was shouting. Eraqus and the surrounding professors tried calming the boy down. As they attempted to subdue him, he backed away with his arms up in surrender. His shouting continued. As Sora watched, his heart dropped. He rushed from the balcony down the stairs to the first floor, his path blocked by the crowd of students hanging on the bottom step. When he stood on his tiptoes, he noticed Nao standing a short distance behind Sota in the arms of Olette and Shiki. She was sobbing. When Eraqus tried again to tell Sota to calm down, the boy threw an accusing forefinger towards him.

"I'll calm down when you tell me why the fuck you're expelling my girlfriend," Sota roared. Sora's mouth dropped.

"That is a personal matter, young man," Eraqus responded. "We are barred from releasing private records of students to the public."

"No, motherfucker, I'll tell you why you're expelling her," he hissed. "It's because she's ganguro, isn't it?"

"The fuck is a gang guru?" burst Vanitas from behind a gaggle of students near the front door, "We just remembered we don't admit Cheetos!" He was enjoying himself. Beside him stood an uncomfortable Ventus. When Sota caught sight of him, he lunged through the body of students towards him. Usher and Argento stopped him.

"Come at me you slimy fuck," roared Sota to Vanitas. "I'll whoop your ass just like I did the second week of school!"

Vanitas' smile wiped off his paling face as Eraqus, Ventus, and the gathered professors glanced towards him in curiosity. When he recovered he shot that Sota was a "fucking liar." Sota burst into laughter. Then he returned his glance to Eraqus.

"Tell the rest of the student body that you expel people when they don't fit your 'hero look!'" he hissed.

"Sota, Nao was expelled for stealing, nothing more and nothing less!" shot Argento as she pushed him back. When she realized what she had said, she covered her mouth. Eraqus rubbed his temple in exasperation as he glanced towards her.

"Nao would never touch anyone else's stuff without their permission!" Sota countered. Tears spilled from his eyes as snot built at the base of his nostrils. Sora had never seen him so livid. As he attempted sucking everything back he beat his hands to his chest.

"We came to this school for acceptance and strength! Now I know that every place in the universe is the same. If you're different, you're swept into the fucking gutter!"

"Stop blaming your problems on everybody else!" screeched Ventus suddenly. Vanitas cackled as the younger boy shrunk beside him. Sota shot him a dangerous glance. As he stared between them something clicked in his mind. He shot a finger at the pair and shouted that it was them. As he roared, Ventus began to cry. Vanitas' face contorted with rage.

"Is this the way you win a fight?" thundered Sota at Vanitas to the enthrallment of the student body. "By getting your fuck buddy to target my _girlfriend_?" In return Vanitas charged through the crowd with his key blade summoned. As he did, Ventus tried holding him back.

"Come at me again like that you stupid carrot faced prick and I'll behead you!" the dark boy roared. In return Sota bucked against Argento and spat that he'd wipe the floor with Vanitas any day.

"Try fighting me without your fancy instrument or powers!" Sota thundered. Some kind of noise was building around him, like static electricity. As it sizzled around Usher and Argento they gritted their teeth. "Fight me like a regular man and you'll see you're slime!"

"If you haven't noticed, this is a school for fucking heroes, not future janitors," Vanitas sneered. Sota nearly climbed over Argento's back trying to get at him.

"Sota," Argento barked as she held Sota back. "Are you here to fight Vanitas or talk to us?"

Remembering himself, Sota fell back and readjusted the vest that had rotated half way around his torso. He demanded to know why Nao would dare steal money from Eraqus's safe when she had a year's worth of savings and free schooling. When Eraqus attempted responding, Sota thundered that they would have their previous employers send recommendation letters detailing their work ethic, along with transcripts detailing their public school grades.

"It is too late!" boomed Eraqus. He cast his head down. "There is a time limit on inquiries of this magnitude and the reports have already been filed. There will be no further discussion." Then he turned, parted the sea of students on the staircase, and filed up. As Sota screamed for him to come back the headmaster raised his head and met eyes with Sora. As Sora blinked back tears, Eraqus whipped away his glance and hurried to the offices on the second floor. Argento held Sota back in the front hall. The boy took turns speaking to Eraqus and Vanitas.

"This is what you wanted, right?" Sota roared. "If she goes, I go, you hear?" Then he directed his attention to the entire assembled crowd. "And I suggest the rest of you quit this stupid excuse for an academy as well! Who's the real headmaster, Eraqus or Reno? You're all being played! You're not heroes! Shinra wants to know who the most dangerous kids in the galaxy are so they can stick their hands up your asses! Fuck you all, and fuck the kids who frame their classmates because their boyfriend threatens to stop fucking them!"

By this time, Ventus had collapsed to the ground in sobs. Argento watched the onslaught in gob smacked horror. Ten upperclassmen held Vanitas back as he howled. Sota rushed for Nao and hugged her as she begged for him to stay. Sota wiped tears from her face and rubbed her hands in his. Amidst his whispers she nodded and straightened her shoulders. Then the pair walked to their dorms. The moment they disappeared the front hall erupted in a thrum of excitement as student after student reflected. Pair by pair, the faculty assembled to monitor the outburst in the first place filed from the hall joking or laughing bitterly. None recognized Sora as they brushed past. Soon the body of waiting students left as well. When all but one person disappeared, Sora descended towards the single standing tiara. Argento watched the staircase as if searching for something. Her brows clung close as her temple creased with thought. When Sora was a foot away, she pursed her lips.

"Did you see that electricity surrounding him?" she murmured. Her voice echoed in the hall's emptiness. "That was his power. He's talented." As she spoke she glanced towards Sora in expectation.

Sora tried remembering the time he had caught Vanitas and Ventus whispering in the library. The time Vanitas told Ventus to do something for him. What was it? It had been to get Sora expelled. But not just him- they wanted Sota gone, too. As the memory of Sota shooting a tin pin between Vanitas' eyes outside the burger joint returned to Sora's mind, his mouth went dry. Argento asked what was wrong. Before Sora knew quite what he was saying, he had confessed.

"It was me," he gasped. "It was me."

"You were the one who stole the money?" intoned Argento. Sora shook his head.

"No- Vanitas," he gasped. "He vowed to get revenge on Sota and I for humiliating him in a fight. He said in the library he'd get us expelled. I ran to my dorm and he came up looking for me and then they asked if I was in the library but they didn't know-"

"Sora, I need for you to slow down," Argento snapped as she gripped Sora's shoulders. "Are you saying Vanitas had Ventus frame Nao?"

Sora nodded. Instead of asking him to elaborate, Argento told him to compile his information in written form. "Get someone you trust to help you," she added. "If we want to put together a hearing, it can't be me. But I can find someone else who will stand in your corner."

"But Eraqus said Shinra has a limit on reports," Sora blubbered.

"I am Shinra, Sora," Argento replied. After rubbing his shoulders she turned and ascended the stairs. As Sora watched her go he gulped and checked his watch. Three fifty six. Four minutes to get to Poetry club. He ran to reach the classroom on time. When he filed to his normal seat at the back of the room he noticed Nao was absent. In dejection he sat through an hour-long presentation on alexandrine verse. When it came time for writing exercises, Sora couldn't think of anything except the look on Eraqus' face when he passed Sora in the hall. Zexion reminded Sora to stay on task twelve times by Poetry's end. Once the bell rang, Sora prepared himself for LGBTQ. When he reached its familiar classroom, a sign on the door directed him to the black box. Sora groaned and lugged himself around the back of the school. When he slipped through the black box's back entrance he set his duffel with everyone else's bags and trudged towards the collection of students at the room's center. Coco was standing on a black cube taking attendance. When she noticed Sora she asked if he had his lines memorized. Sora muttered "no," and Coco responded with a "humph." Then she finished attendance and guided the class towards a large projector screen set up on the back wall.

"We're going to watch this for ten minutes and then it's straight to work," she warned. After fiddling with the projector she connected it to her laptop and clicked around. A blue wash with a descending count covered the projector screen. When the count reached zero, the screen changed to Coco's desktop. Her clicker looked like a pink tin pin with a stylized skull on it. She hummed as it hovered towards a file marked "RuDaul's Drag Race."

"They used to film this in the Francisco side of San Fransokyo," Coco chirped, adding, "You won't see a show like this in Twilight Town!"

After a spurt of laughter, Coco clicked through the menu for her favorite episode. When she found it, she clicked "play" and asked Marceline to shut off the lights.

"Gentlemen, start your engines! And may the best woman, win!" RuDaul cooed over the speaker system. Sora watched as flamboyant waxed and lotioned men built costumes and insulting one another. Coco chuckled and said that that was called "reading." When a particularly scathing insult came around, Coco and Joshua howled and snapped at one another. Behind them, Marceline and Bubblegum, two fellow freshmen, laughed and whispered.

"See how fun this can be?" Coco chirped to the audience. As she watched the queens banter, she clapped her hands and beamed. "My dream for our drag show is to communicate how good it is to be yourself- whatever that self may be," she announced. Tears welled around her eyes and she started to sniff. "Especially in circumstances where people are treated a certain way for how they look or feel!"

The tiny group of students clapped and whooped. There were six of them including Coco. Sota and Nao would have made it eight if they had been in class. Sora had never noticed how small LGBTQ's membership was until now.

After ten minutes, Coco shut the projector off and passed around half sheets of paper asking for drag names, bios, instructors being impersonated for the Snatch Game, and ideal songs for the lip sync battle. Sora stared helplessly at his own when it passed him. He did not have a drag name or an instructor to impersonate, and the only music he knew came from Radio Luca 1 back home. Destiny Islands had always been a little "behind" in terms of global culture. Their televisions only had three channels: sports, news, and local programming, and their radios only had two: Radio Luca 1 and Radio Luca 2. Connection for Radio Luca 2, the top of the pops channel, was so spotty it was pointless trying to tune in. In short, Sora's musical heritage stopped with 1980s boy bands. He scratched his head and attempted to remember a song by The Jets _._ All he could think of was "Crush on You." When Coco called for the class to start turning in their papers, Sora panicked and wrote "Irga Sandal Jaws." For the bio he wrote, "from Destiny Islands. Likes blitzball, rowing, and adventures." The first instructor he thought of was Argento. When he wrote down everything and passed his paper in, Coco returned to the black cube at the room's center. When everyone quieted down she read his or her half sheet out loud. After getting through five, she pursed her lips and asked everyone what the characteristics of a good drag name were. Several tries later the class settled on sexual innuendo, personal flare, and qualifiers.

"For example, Irga Sandal Jaws," she chirped, holding up Sora's paper. "What was your inspiration?"

"Blitzball and, uh… beach stuff," Sora mumbled in return, failing to mention the influence of his stuffed animal, Jaws Junior. Coco nodded.

"Irga Sandal Jaws has followed the classic drag formula: given name, qualifier, noun. She's got personal flare, too. I'd suggest changing the qualifier to something more… suggestive."

"Like velvet?" tried Joshua from the front row of students. Coco clapped. "Fierce. And get sassy with your bio. Make anything ending with ball plural. Oh, and I believe Joshua already chose Argento for the Snatch Game. I'll put you down for Rosso."

"Rosso?" barked Sora. The class turned to stare at him.

"Yes! You can impersonate Rosso in the Snatch Game," Coco beamed. "It will be hilarious because you're so cute and small!"

 _Cute, small, and dead,_ Sora thought to himself. For the rest of the class he wrung his hands and tried to keep from throwing up. Coco had obviously chosen him to mock Rosso as revenge for all the times he had asked one question per class. When the evening bell rang and everyone filed out talking about costumes and choreography, Sora returned to Coco's side and asked if there was any way he could make fun of someone else.

"What about Shelke?" he asked. "She's small and cute."

"It wouldn't be as funny as if you did Rosso, Sora," Coco chirped, taking the RuDaul DVD from the projector and slipping it into her little teddy bear backpack.

"But Coco," Sora whined. "Rosso will kill me if she sees!"

"Then I suggest you find out a way to make her laugh!" Coco returned. Then she asked Sora to shut the black box lights off on his way out and left. Before long Sora followed, returning around the back of the school whilst trying to think of what he could do. He found himself heading upstairs to the dorms. When he passed Sota's door, he heard rummaging boxes and a girl's wavering voice as she argued. Without thinking he wrapped against the door and waited. There was silence within. Then, the latch undid, and one puffy red eye peeked into the hall outside. When its blue iris saw who was waiting, the eye narrowed and backed away. The door opened wider. Soon Sora stood face to face with Sota, separated by the threshold between their room and the dorm room hall. When Sora peeked behind him he spied an open suitcase. Nao sat on the bed opposite. Her face was pointed towards the window at the center of the room's back wall. Sora could not see her expression. When Sora pled with his eyes, Sota scowled and let him in. Sora glanced around in shock. Sota's side of the dorm room was bare of personal belongings. Nao let out a single sob.

"Leave her be, Sora," Sota snapped as Sora reached for her. Sora returned to the room's center and folded his hands politely in front of his middle. When the silence became overbearing, he asked how everyone was hanging.

"What do you want, Sora?" Sota responded. Sora faltered. He stared at the suitcase.

"I missed you guys in class today," he started. "Coco played RuDaul's Drag Race and said it wasn't right to mistreat people based on the way they look or feel." He rubbed at his eyes. "I was thinking how much better our show would have been if you guys were in it."

"Is anyone playing Reno or Eraqus in the Snatch Game?" asked Nao. Her face was still averted, but her shoulders had softened. Sora scooted towards her and shrugged.

"Might be Marceline," he said. "I can't remember who's playing Reno. Maybe Vanille."

"Tell them to drag them through the mud," Sota muttered in return. Sora gave a weak chuckle. Then he beamed.

"You guys could still be in it if you like!" he chirped. "It could be your last huzzah!"

Sota grinned in spite of himself. "Yeah, we could really stick a few of our professors after..." Then his smile faded. His glance trailed to the ground. "Axel said he would have a vessel for us by Thursday if we really wanted," he muttered. "If not, the Galactic Federation rolls around in two weeks."

"Then we'd have two more weeks together!" Sora cried. "You could do whatever you wanted!"

"Nao has to be out within the week or she'll be arrested," Sota responded flatly. Nao's head bent. Sora returned that Argento was attempting to file a dissenting report. Sota softened enough to chuckle.

"The one honorable mentor at this place," he mumbled. Sora tugged at Sota's pant leg for him to sit down. Then he leaned towards Nao and tapped her foot. When she looked down she laughed. Soon all three were sitting on the floor with knees close enough to touch. As Sora took his companions in, his brows furrowed.

"Sota," he murmured as he remembered. "A while back I heard Ventus and Vanitas talking in the library about how they wanted to get us both expelled. They said I was a lost cause, but that you would be tricky. I never told you. I never even gave it a second thought. So this is my fault."

"No it's not, Sora," Nao murmured in reply, touching his hand. "They couldn't find anything on Sota, so they went for me."

"Who recommended you for the secretarial position in Eraqus' office?" asked Sota. Nao responded that it had been Aqua, but that Ventus had told her about the opening. Sota shook his head, unable to speak for anger. Sora sat in silence. He had a lump in his throat the size of a blitzball. No matter how much he gulped, nothing would take it away.

"You guys have been really nice to me," he started with a sniff. "Even when I said stupid stuff and pissed people off. I'll really, really miss you guys. I don't know what I'm going to do without you. It seems like all my friends are disappearing…"

"Don't lose hope, Sora," Nao and Sota said together. "You're just as much of a hero as everyone else."

Sora nodded and attempted sniffing back everything leaking from his face. When he wiped himself off, he shuffled closer to Nao and Sota and gave an awkward snort.

"Well, in that vein…" he started, "I'm having a little trouble preparing for my midterms, specifically my poetry submission and drag performance."

Sota and Nao shot each other a telling look. Then Nao narrowed her eyes and asked whom Sora was snatching. When Sora responded, "Rosso," she covered her mouth and burst into hysterical laughter. Sora didn't find the admission of his impending doom funny.

"I'm glad you find my advance eulogy entertaining," he snapped as Nao cackled behind him. When Sota began to laugh, all bets were off. Soon all three were howling for no apparent reason. When Sora's ribs began to hurt, Sota patted him on the shoulder and said, "We'll help you out."

"Yeah!" Nao added. "Fuck heroes and princesses of heart. We're going to make you a queen."

* * *

 **Hey! I miss you guys' reviews! You really spoiled me on chapter 29 (I think there were 5?) They tell me how you feel and get me pumped for the next chapter! Any guessing, encouragement, or even advice is well appreciated! Along with follows and favorites! I may start placing warnings at the top of each chapter to forebode language, drugs, or sexual content. I really want to keep this rated T, so please warn me if you think it's heading anywhere towards the M spectrum. Obviously, there will be some yaoi. You may have guessed that from suggestions in this and previous chapters. Be forewarned. I've tried to keep everything suggestive rather than explicit.**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	33. Triumph at the Drag Show

**Warning: strong language, minor peril, sick'ning drag**

* * *

Sora stood backstage of the Land of Departure auditorium massaging his throat. The blitzball-sized lump that had settled there when he found out Sota and Nao were leaving had never gone away. His heart felt like it was going to explode in his chest. Every time he let a breath out, he whimpered. Looking in the mirror at the side of the right wing of the stage was a bad idea. His bronze legs were bare and shaved. His nails were covered in slick, sky blue polish. His feet were clothed in neon PVC pumps. His penis was tucked and taped, shielded from view by a pair of spanx and a sarong the length of his little finger. Because he came from what his classmates called the "backwater sea resort" of the galaxy, he had been forced into a sky blue bikini, rainbow lei cuffs, a conch necklace, and a massive red wig. The wig was painful, the shoes were hard to stand up straight in, and his conch earrings and false lashes were so heavy he could feel his eyes and ears drooping down his shoulders. Though he had taken inventory of everything else, he refused to look at his face. For some reason, he could not do it alone. He wished with all his heart that Kairi or Riku or Roxas were backstage with him now to bolster his confidence. But he stood on his own, amongst relative strangers. And the lump in his throat only got larger with each passing breath.

Behind him lurked the rest of the LGBTQ class. To torture him, Coco decided to make Sora the presenter for the Drag Show. As he heard the seats fill up beyond the curtain he prayed that no one else would come. But the whoops and hollers were getting louder. People were cackling. Whenever Sora blinked, a picture of Vanitas jeering him passed through his mind. When he attempted allaying the terrible sensation his penis tuck caused, a mystery hand came behind and slapped his fingers away. Sora yelped and whipped around to see who was there. Marceline. Her impossibly long locks had been stuffed into a short black wig. Her eyebrows and jaw line were accentuated. She had added padding to the shoulders of her open flannel shirt, and her boobs were pressed with an ace bandage. The tight, Misfits logoed vest above worked. She looked handsome.

"Stop messing with yourself, lady," she tried in a manly voice. "Don't want your balls popping out mid performance."

"Sorry," Sora croaked in reply. When Marceline asked how she looked, Sora lifted his thumbs in approval. Marceline beamed. Then she twirled him around and dipped him, making Sora yelp as the baby conch necklace circling his throat slapped him in the eye. When he adjusted it and returned Marceline's gaze, he whimpered. Her irises were blood red holes shrouded in black corneas.

"You look good enough to eat," she hissed. Sora's legs went weak. He was very emotionally confused right now. When Marceline asked him if she was scary sexy enough, he gave a halfhearted nod. His vocal response was more a guttural wheeze than words. It made Marceline laugh. When she let Sora go, she shook her head to check if her wig was on tight enough. Sora shook his head in return and asked if his moved.

"You're perfect, Sora," she winked back. Then, hesitating, she took his hands in hers and gave them a squeeze.

"You've been working really hard these past few weeks," she murmured. "You're going to kill it out there."

"Kill what?" Sora squeaked. Marceline waved him off and told him it was an expression. Before she could elaborate a cry of pure joy ascended from the stage door. When Sora whipped around to see whom it belonged to, his heart stopped.

Sota and Nao charged towards him, Nao nearly tackling him to the ground in an effort to give him a hug. When he was standing again, she checked his falsies and makeup job through giggles. Then she reached in her pocket and brought out glitter dust and tiny rhinestone sequins.

"Close your eyes," she whispered. Sora did as he was told. He felt dots of something wet on his cheeks. Then pressing, tiny rocks. Then sprinkles of thick particle powder. Nao blew in his face and made him wince. When she said he could open and pulled out her compact mirror, Sora shrunk away. When Nao asked what was wrong, he shook his head and whispered that he was scared of what would happen if he looked at himself. Nao's gaze softened. A strong arm fell on Sora's shoulder. When he looked up, Sota was beaming down at him.

"I kind of wish I was in this thing, now," he grinned. "We could have done a duet."

Sora blinked and blushed, mumbling that maybe he could take one quick peek at himself. When he got the compact mirror in his hands, his mouth dropped. A beautiful, silver cheeked woman stared back at him with sparkling, teary eyes. Relief washed over Sora as he looked at her. He had visions of looking in the mirror and seeing something hideous, himself with a wig and garish makeup on. But this woman seemed like a sister. As he grabbed the compact to examine the tiny beads Nao had set along his cheeks like glass tears, he giggled. Nao asked for his fishy voice and sissy walk. With bolstered confidence, Sora gave a five-minute demonstration and called, "gentlemen, start your engines," in a high-pitched chirp. Nao screamed in delight and clapped her hands. Then she turned to Sota and asked for his opinion.

"Buh- what?" blurted Sota. His cheeks were bright pink. When he glanced Sora up and down, he only grew redder.

"I'm not in a position to make qualifications about this," he croaked.

"But doesn't Sora look beautiful?" Nao whined. Upon prodding him further, Sota barked that yes, Sora looked very beautiful. Then he stumbled a few feet away to sulk. It made Sora grin. There was yet another peal of delight. When Sora turned, Coco was running towards him with clipboard in hand. When she took in his petite form she padded a tear from her eye.

"Mother Minerva, Sora," she whispered. "You're gorgeous!"

"Thank you," responded Sora. When Coco slapped his wrist, he cried out and asked what he did.

"Voice!" she snapped in return. Sora put on his girly voice and posed. Coco beamed. Nao took Sora by the hand. There were tears in her eyes, too.

"Sora, you really are lovely," she whispered. When she sniffed back tears and padded around her mascara she laughed. "Goddess, I feel like a mother on her daughter's prom night."

"You're going to confuse a lot of people out there," Coco laughed, rubbing Sora's arm. All the affection was making the lump in his throat hurt. When moisture threatened to brim over his cheeks, three voices cried out and hurried to dab him dry. In satisfaction, they sighed. Then Coco gripped his palms and squeezed.

"You look nervous, Sora," she observed. Sora agreed. Coco squeezed harder. Then she gave an intense smile.

"Sora, I want you to tell me one more time the most important part of drag."

"Having fun?" whimpered Sora. Coco slapped his wrist. "It's a fuck you to the people who force you to be a certain way. People like Vanitas gain power through condemnation. That's wrong. Think of all the powerful women you know. That woman is in you, too, Sora. All you have to do is open the door."

"Open the door," Sora wheezed. The lump in his throat seemed to have radiated to his chest. As Coco put on her stage manager headset and turned her clipboard to the first cue, Sora grabbed her arm and said that he could not do it.

"There's something in my throat," he croaked. "It's gonna pop if I go out there."

Coco's eyes sparkled. She prodded Sora's chest with her forefinger and told him that that was the key.

"Let Irga breathe, Sora," she hissed. Then she skipped off. Sora whimpered as the stagehands prepared to open the curtain.

"The key is in you, the key is in you, the key is in you," he whispered to himself as he shook into position. He could feel the audience sitting outside, laughing and whispering. As he listened he cursed. He should have peed twice before they taped his dick back. His bare legs shook so bad his knees knocked together. Coco whispered through her monitor to the light and sound operators. Then, she raised her hand for Sora.

"Open the door, open the door, open the door," Sora repeated to himself. Coco's hand swiped down. Then, the curtains opened, and Sora stumbled out onto the empty stage with microphone in hand.

When he reached center stage he winced and put his hand over his eyes. The footlights made his toes sweat. The lights above his head were so bright he could hardly stand to look over the audience's scalps. When his vision adjusted he glanced straight into his captors' faces. In horror he began recognizing people he knew. Hayner. Aerith. Rosso. Noel. Reno. Aqua. Cloud Strife. Axel. Larxene. Argento. Vanitas. And side-by-side, Riku and Nimo. No matter how hard he looked, he could not find Roxas or Kairi. The remaining onlookers' shock or glee washed over Sora like boiling oil. He could hear their snickers as they covered their mouths and collapsed into each other's laps. When Sora opened his mouth to speak, the lump shoved against his vocal cords. Nothing came out. He could barely breathe. Black stars crumbled before his eyes. He stumbled. There was a cackle of laughter. The nausea from the burger joint tore at his stomach again. As Sora set his hands on his knees and leaned his head over to recuperate, something pinged off his knee and settled on the stage before him. When he opened his eyes he saw that it was a crumpled piece of paper. On its front was a picture of what looked like someone being bent over by another person.

Sora clutched his heart. A rising chorus of boos erupted through the audience like wildfire. Sora pleaded with Coco for help. She and the rest of the club standing behind the curtain exaggerated lifting their chests off their spine and opening their mouths wide. What were they doing? Ah. Breathing.

"Release your sphincter!" Coco whispered. Sora could barely release his grip on his knee.

"And n-now," he stuttered through chattering teeth, "I will introduce, er…" his voice cracked on "introduce." Larxene burst into laughter beside Axel in the front row. The red head cringed as Sora stumbled forward again.

"I mean," Sora continued. Something was bubbling in his throat. It was like the lump had grown a harder lump. Was he going to throw up? "I m-mean, ha ha, we-wel-welcome t-t-to the drag. Show. Sponsered through Reno, er, Eraqus, er, Shinra,"

"Fuck me, Reno! Please fuck me!" called a high-pitched voice from the fifth row. When Sora glanced towards it his stomach dropped. Vanitas' golden eyes twinkled as he cupped his hands around his mouth. When Argento caught sight of him, she shot him a death glare. Then she met Sora's eye. Her glance was full of pity. Beside her, Rosso bubbled with laughter.

"Fuck me harder!" Vanitas chanced. Argento leapt from her front row seat and sauntered towards him. When she told him to get out, he ignored her and said he was watching the show. When she attempted filing through the row towards him, the other upperclassmen blocked her path with their knees. As a voice from the other side of the room shouted the chant again, a moan escaped Sora's throat, carried over the entire auditorium by his microphone. The audience burst with laughter. Sora attempted clutching his throat to stop himself from whimpering. But every time he breathed, sound came out. The "fuck me!" chants grew in volume. Soon, "Fuck me, Axel!" "Fuck me, Riku!" and even "Fuck me, Argento!" were thrown around. Reno stood up and roared for the auditorium to quiet down. Axel tried as well, but he was having difficulty taking his eyes off of Sora's teetering form. When Riku stood in disgust, Nimo grabbed his hand and called for him to sit down. As Sora and his old friend met eyes, Riku mouthed for him to exit the stage. Cloud Strife leapt from his seat beside Leon in the last row and exited through the auditorium's lobby doors, chucking his program to the carpet as he disappeared.

"Please, fuck, Riku" Sora clamped his hand over his mouth, cursing himself for blindly repeating what the rest of the auditorium was saying. Now the laughter was insatiable. The chants were so loud Sora could barely hear what he was thinking- barely see in front of him. Something was clouding his vision.

"Please fuck, I mean, p-p-please c-calm d-do-own," Sora mouthed, his voice constricted by the lump growing in his throat. When he looked back stage, he saw the rest of his classmates holding Sota and Nao back from rushing towards him. Coco was holding up a scrap of cardboard saying, "gentlemen, start your engines." Sora nodded feverishly and turned back to the audience. "G-ge-gen-g-tl-uh-m," he gulped down the caustic clump just below the base of his tongue and gritted his teeth. His fingers were shaking with emotion he had never felt in his life. He wanted to melt. His constricted throat was the only bit of self-control he had left.

"G-guh-gent, may- start- I. Marce- I mean, Marshall Lee will g-g- SHUT UPPP!" he screamed, curling his chest to his knees as he shut his eyes tight and opened his mouth as wide as it would go. Glass smashed. Some of the footlights dimmed. The audience fell silent. Axel, Reno, Rosso, and Argento stood and watched Sora like wolves. Sora stumbled back in shock. The lump in his throat was gone. Someone was wailing. Who was wailing?

Sora clutched his throat and gasped. When he exhaled, he cried louder. He could not control it. Snot was spilling from his nose. For a moment he sucked everything in. When he attempted to smile and introduce the show again, he burst into tears. The audience erupted with laughter. Sora's knees gave way and he crumpled to the ground, covering his face with his hands and sobbing right into the mike he held with a vice like grip. Suddenly the rest of the LGBTQ club was at his side. Coco tried to get the auditorium under control, but the insults had turned more vicious. When Axel lunged on stage and threatened to summon his chakrams on the next shit who moved a muscle, someone screeched. Everyone's eyes drew to the stage's left wing. When Sora turned to see what everyone was gasping at, his eyes grew big as saucers.

Cloud Strife stumbled on stage in a purple mini-dress, bleach blond pigtails, and pink platform heels. Someone had doused him in lipstick, mascara, and falsies. When he teetered to Sora's side he used Sora's head as a cane and wrenched the microphone from his hand. Then he lunged towards the broken footlights with a roar.

"Shut your fucking mouths, you pieces of shit!" he boomed across the speaker system. The sheer volume caused an excruciating amount of feedback. The audience winced. Vanitas continued cackling until Cloud grabbed someone's drink can from the first row and pinged it right between his eyes. As Vanitas tumbled out of view, Cloud addressed everyone else with his arm held wide.

"Take a long look! A penis in a motherfucking dress, what a fucking laugh!" he roared.

"Where is it?" called Vanitas. "In a box or up your ass?"

"Shoved between my butt cheeks, smart ass!" responded Cloud. "Four girls helped. What kind of action have you gotten in the last week?"

Vanitas lunged over the seat in front of him so fast he tumbled into one of the professor's laps. As the man slapped him away and the rest of the student body laughed, Cloud pointed to Sora and snapped for him to stand. As Sora did, Marceline and Vanille padded the tears from his eyes. Cloud grabbed Sora under his arm and pointed to his bedazzled face.

"Look at this kid!" he boomed. When the audience did, he beat Sora's shoulder with his palm. "This is the bravest kid I have ever met!" When the audience booed, he threatened to throw something else at them.

"How many of you fuckers are sure enough of yourselves to stand up here in a dress, huh? How does what you wear have anything to do with who you fuck? Vanitas, here-"

"Alright, Cloud, tone it down," Axel warned. Cloud remembered himself and pulled Sora closer.

"Now either you give this kid a chance or I rip the smiles right off of you!" he roared. Some of the audience clapped. Most held their hands crossed in front of them. Cloud patted Sora's shoulder, winked, and stepped over the footlights in an effort to reach the first row of seats. He nearly tripped on the mike chord on his way down. When Vanille rushed forward to help him, he grabbed her hand and said, "Thanks, man."

"I'm a lady," Vanille responded. Cloud furrowed his brows as he looked at Vanille's short wig and grey dress suite before responding, "oh," with a blush. Larxene, Axel, and Zexion helped him off stage together and sat him in an empty seat in the first row. Coco shooed everyone but Sora backstage and built up an audience cheer. Clutching the microphone in his hand and readjusting the wig hair that had gotten in his mouth as he cried, Sora closed his eyes. Then he took a deep breath and curled back his shoulders. When he glanced towards Cloud, still in the purple dress and picking at his wedgie, he mouthed, "thank you." After recollecting himself he asked how everyone was doing. The crowd let out a few whoops.

"We'd like to thank Shinra, Eraqus, our performers and everyone else who made this show possible. My name is Irga Velvetjaws. Who's ready to get fierce?"

"We are," the audience muttered.

"Say it so I can hear it," Sora roared. In surprise the audience roared back, "WE ARE!" Backstage, Sota and Nao grinned to one another. Sora beamed and raised his right hand high, striking another pose. The crowd cheered.

"Our first event is a fashion walk," he beamed. Then he turned. "Gentlemen, start your engines!"

The soundboard operator clicked the first que. The RuDaul's Drag Race theme blared across the speaker system. Overlaying it was Sora's voice, introducing each of the performers as they walked out in line, posed, and receded to the left side of the stage.

"Soul eater, misfit, lord of everlasting darkness, Marshall Lee!" Marceline slid out on her knees rocker style and hissed to the audience, granting them the same black eye trick as she did for Sora earlier. Once Sora introduced Princess Bubblegum as Prince Gumballs and Vanille as Oerba D Steele, he flourished his hand.

"And now, one of our only two ladies," he shouted. "Street angel, house devil, the always lucky Josie Pussycat!" When Joshua walked on the stage in a black sequined, spaghetti strap mini-dress, cat ears, and stilettos, and with his natural blond hair tied tight in a long, curly ponytail, the crowd went wild. When he crossed center stage he stopped, posed, and touched his forefinger to the tip of his tongue.

"And last but certainly not least," Sora chirped, sauntering center stage and winking, "Irga Velvetjaws! I may be small, but I ride huge waves!" The crowd erupted in laughter. After the other drag kings and queen left the stage, Sora handed the mike off to Marceline and disappeared to get ready for his lip sync performance. As Marceline performed to the rousing thrum of "Vampira" by the Misfits, Sora stumbled to Coco and confirmed that he would be singing, "Crush On You," by the Jets. Then, as "Vampira" ended and the audience erupted with applause, he lolloped behind the curtain and readjusted his sarong. Marceline introduced him. Before he stepped into place, Coco grabbed him and told him to find a way to get on top of the game. "It's zero to two right now," she hissed. "Flip the scales. Kill 'em with song." Sora nodded and hopped up and down in his pumps to get ready. The unmistakable eighties synth beat crackled across the speakers as the curtain opened.

Sora clamped his hands on his hips to keep them from shaking, funneling his determination into his walk and expression. His first victim would have to be his probation officer. As Sora set eyes on Axel, he lifted his head high, relaxed his shoulders, shimmied to the edge of the stage, and squatted so that he and the red terror were nearly eye-to-eye.

 _"How did you know, cause I never told, but you found out, I have a crush on you!"_

Axel covered his face as Larxene cackled and punched him in the arm. Somewhere behind, Reno howled.

 _"No more charades, my heart's been displayed, you found out, I've got a crush on you. You must have heard it from my best friend,"_ Sora cooed, shooting his forefinger at Vanitas as he transferred his hatred into a bubbly wink followed by the shadiest side eye he could muster. _"She's always talking when she should be listening. Can't keep a secret to save her life. But I still trusted her with all I felt inside."_ Another wink, then a pouty face that made a good portion of the audience giggle and "aw." The boys around Vanitas snorted and attempted pinching his cheeks. He slapped them away and gave Sora the finger and a murderous expression. Sora gave a melodramatic gasp before miming slapping Vanitas on the head. The audience burst into laughter and applauded. When Sora started the second refrain, he centered on his homeroom teacher Reno and danced through the choreography Coco and Nao had worked on with him. Soon Reno was standing and clapping along to the song's beat. It spread like wildfire until the whole auditorium was standing and dancing along.

 _"Were my emotions so easily read that you know my thoughts before a word was said? Was it my eyes that let you know you had control,"_ Sora put his palms under his cheeks and batted his eyelashes. Another laugh. When he sought out his third victim, Riku, he squared his shoulders and took a deep breath. Then, channeling all his anger, he hopped off the stage and into the center aisle. The crowd went crazy as he walked straight up to Riku's row. The silverette had turned to stone. His face was concrete grey, stretched into a permanent frown. But his eyes looked ready to shoot knives.

 _"How did you know? Cause I never told, but you found out. I've got a crush on you,"_ Sora lip-synced with a mock gasp, doing his most elaborate choreography right in front of Riku's face. Beside him Nimo collapsed with laughter. His hand was still tightly clasped over Riku's wrist. When Sora winked and turned away, Riku slammed his cup to the ground and wrenched Nimo's hand away. Then he lunged into the aisle and shoved Sora back. As Sora tottered into the hands of the row behind, Riku swiveled and burst out of the auditorium alone. Sora pursed his lips at the exit and fanned himself luxuriantly before returning to the stage. Cloud helped him back on. When he spotted Sota and Nao slipping into the audience from backstage, he screeched for them to come forward. The rest of the crowd cheered in agreement. For the last refrain, Nao and Sota danced on stage with him. When the song ended, Sora sent them off and gave a quick bow. Then he dashed backstage and collapsed onto the ground. Before he could catch his breath, Coco was at him again to get ready for the Snatch Game. Nao and Sota returned to help him into his Rosso costume. When she dragged out the cardboard box with the cut up velvet train and armor, Sota laughed.

"I forgot how skimpy this thing was," he grinned.

"Did you see that?" Sora gasped, letting his sweating back cool against the concrete wall behind him as he raised his head to the ceiling. "Did you see their facial expressions? I think I embarrassed them just as much as they did me."

"You glowed, Sora," Nao winked. "So playful. You made it into a game you could win."

"That's what I was trying to picture!" Sora cried in delight. Suddenly a part of him- the masochistic one, he presumed, could not wait to face off as Rosso in the Snatch Game. As he sighed, a bare calf nudged him in the cheek. When Sora glanced up, he met the smirk of a beautiful blonde with lavender eyes and black cat ears. Scratch that. Joshua. When the boys met eyes, Joshua wrapped his arms around Sora's shoulders and planted a huge kiss on his cheek. Then he broke away and chirped, "I heard you were to die for!" When Sora mumbled that it was Cloud who got the crowd to accept him, Joshua shook his head.

"He got them to shut up," Joshua cooed. " _You_ ripped the rug right out from under their feet."

"I did?" Sora beamed. He felt warmth engulf him. Joshua laughed and kissed his cheek again. Then he used Sora's shoulder to hoist himself up. He was on deck for lip-syncing. When he disappeared behind the curtain, Sota removed Sora's wig and beat it down into Rosso's signature coif. As Sora massaged his sore head, Nao tore a massive bottle of makeup remover from her bag and smeared it across Sora's face.

"We've got a full half hour to transform you into that sadist," she grinned. They helped Sora put on the red turtle neck crop top and slipped him from his sarong into crimson spandex briefs. Then came the thigh high boots, crimson train, and red wig. When he finished dressing he fished around for his weapon- a broom with the top popped off and two butter knives taped on either end. A handle with two lead pipes was strung around the middle to imitate the double gun blade's barrel. When Sora looked in Nao's compact one more time he broke into laughter. Nao had arched his eyebrows so high they were nearly in his hairline. The white line along his lower eyelids made him look like he was crazed. For the final touch, Nao doused him in crimson lipstick.

"I hope I don't shake the chair," Sora gasped through chattering teeth. Nao rubbed his shoulders and told him to take longer exhales. Sota patted him on the arm and told him he would be fine. "Remember the game," he tried. Sora nodded with detemination. Coco called everyone to take his or her seat for the Snatch Game. Then the curtains rose. When the audience spotted who was playing whom they nearly lost their minds. Coco acted as announcer. Aerith and an upperclassman named Noctis volunteered as guest judges.

"Welcome to the Snatch Game, where our contestants attempt to match our celebrity guest judge's answers to fill in the blank questions! Joining us today are Noctis Caelum and Aerith Gainsborough!" Aerith and Noctis grinned and waved to the whooping audience. "Are you ready to meet our stars?" asked Coco. The audience roared.

"Our first contestant is freshman professor Argento! How are you feeling, Argento?" asked Coco. Joshua rolled his eyes.

"Hung-over," responded Joshua. "I was so excited for the weekend that one thing lead to another. Before I knew it I was polishing my falcon and talking to my sword."

"And that's just a regular Thursday!" cut in Vanille. Her impersonation of Reno was so spot on that Axel had to check back at his brother every few moments to see if he was still in the audience.

"Our next contestant is Reno Flynn! What about you, Reno?"

"Well, just looking at you is making me sober, Coco," Vanille responded. Axel guffawed.

"Moving right on down the line, we have another freshman professor, Rosso the Crimson! Is that a sword you've got?"

"Did someone say garrote?" Sora responded. Then he gave his best Rosso sneer. "I don't have a chord viz me, but I am sure ve can figure somezing out." The audience burst into laughter. Coco moved on to Marceline, who was dressed as Eraqus. When she asked how Eraqus was doing, Marceline gave his signature "gyueh…" and squinted her eyes.

"I am doing… well… student," she murmured with furrowed brows. The audience snorted with laughter.

"I'm one of your faculty, Eraqus," cried Coco.

"Ah, of course… Demyx."

The audience burst into laughter. Demyx sat between Zexion and Larxene and pouted, insisting that his voice was not that high.

"Eraqus, I'm Coco! Don't you recognize me?" Coco giggled.

"I am afraid not, Coconut," murmured Marceline in return. "I was so busy signing expulsion forms that I forgot to refill my prescription."

The audience screeched in approval as the smiles wiped off some of the faculty's faces. Marceline's Eraqus gave the audience a shrug as she was assailed with cheers and boos.

"What about you, Luxord?" Coco segued.

"Well, to be honest Coco, I feel a bit like a biscuit at a cookie party!" Bubblegum sighed. "If I'd known the price for losing Thursday night poker was either jumping off Departure Peak with a faulty parachute or sitting between the Tsviets, I would have stripped and done a nose dive!"

"Oh, pleaze," scoffed Sora. "I vonce jumped off ze bell tower spire viz just my rug."

"You mean your train?" asked Coco.

"Little ferret, if I had a train I vould ride home to my torture chamber viz ze entirety of ze freshman class."

The faculty roared laughter. Even Argento chuckled.

"I've always wondered what your train was made of!" cried Coco. "What fur is it?"

"Every year I skin a red head viz ze knife of my father."

"Did your father start that tradition?"

"You could say zat," responded Sora, picking up the crimson rug in his hand and pointing to the bottom corner. "Say hello, papi!" he cooed. With a wide smile he waved the rug corner at the now crying audience. Then he pointed to Vanille's Reno and said she had her eyes on him.

"How do you sew the skin together?" whimpered Coco through tears.

"I have ze best sheeps at home. I gazer zeir vool and make ze freshmen spin it to sread in detention."

"Do you eat the sheep after you shear them?" asked Coco. Sora gasped in horror.

"No!" he cried. "I eat no sheep. Only humans."

The audience howled. Tears rolled down their cheeks. Coco could hardly speak for laughter. "Okay," she sputtered. "We really have to start the Snatch Game."

"Ze snatch game is snatching ze scalps?" asked Sora. Coco shook her head and whimpered that the snatch game was filling in blanks.

"Oh, yes, I am very good at filling in blanks," responded Sora, holding up his double gun blade and pointing to the "bullet cartridge." When the audience saw that it was just two pipes attached to a broom pole with tape, they roared again. "If you have ze bullets I can fill ze slots."

"Wrong slots, Rosso," Coco cried, nearly on her knees. Sora scoffed and threw his weapon to the side.

"I have come to ze wrong "snatch," zen," he sighed. That seemed to be the final straw for Coco. She collapsed to the ground in a fit of giggles as everyone surrounding continued to howl. As Sora registered the joy and random spurts of applause surrounding, he could not help but smile.

"I vill stay if you promise me Reno's scalp at ze end of ze game," he grinned. Behind, Vanille's Reno clapped his hands and raised his palms in surrender.

"Shit, I'll give it to you if you go on a dinner date with me. The only people I can spark the interest of right now are students and the cleaning staff."

The real Reno's mouth fell to the floor. The audience roared.

"Oh, we'll clean you, baby!" one of the older janitors called from one of the back rows. As Reno glanced towards her she waved her handkerchief in the air like a flag. The student body erupted in a round of cheers. Axel's eyes sparkled. Sora tried to keep from jumping up and down in his seat. The show was just starting to heat up. Without helping it Sora's eyes drew back to Argento. She was smiling at him in awe. When he caught her eye, she beamed and saluted him. Sora did not bother to see what Rosso thought of the performance. He would find out soon enough in Monday's combat class.

* * *

 **Thanks again for the reviews! Midterms are finally over! Now to look forward to semester finals! Stunning, saddening, frightening revelations to come! Will Sora prevail against his enemies or crack under the pressure? Keep reading to find out!**

 **PS all comments and concerns being noted- ESPECIALLY the one about Riku's sister. We'll be seeing her VERY soon.**


	34. Suspicious Invitations

The following week passed in a blissful blur. Sora felt like the king of the school. He had gotten straight A's on all of his club midterms. His drag and pun performances for Coco and Larxene were hits, his poem was one of the best in the class, and his petunia was one of the most beautiful. People who had never glanced twice at him before came to congratulate him on his turn as Rosso. Sora had expected her to murder him the first day back, but she had disappeared for the entire week. Sephiroth, an adjunct faculty member, taught Class C in her absence. He seemed to maintain a good rapport with the students. Sora even caught him speaking with Tifa, Aerith, and Yuffie on their way back from the summit for lunch. Other things had changed since midterm results were published and class resumed session as well. Several students switched skill levels. Riku's combat rank as of midterms was eighth in the class, meaning he was one slot away from being one of the most powerful students in the school. Since the Drag Show he avoided Sora completely. Sora did not even see him in the halls. Though Kairi's combat rank reached number one in the class, she remained in Class P. Sora evening practices with Roxas were sporadic. The most bittersweet change was that Nao's expulsion sentence had been moved back another two weeks. She was even allowed to continue training until the Galactic Federation vessel arrived. Argento's help in the matter had been indispensible. Sora resumed running with her before morning class.

This morning, as they passed the bridge between the peaks, Sora thought about his meltdown before the Drag Show. How Nao said he glowed. As he and Argento mounted the second peak he spotted the early morning yoga class practicing on the summit across the valley. Argento stopped for a water break. As she sat on a nearby tree trunk to wipe around her eye patch, Sora kicked his sneakers through the mud.

"You should get yourself a pair of running shoes," Argento huffed, pointing to his worn soles and pursing her lips. Sora shrugged. He was wearing one of Zell's old pairs of jogging shorts and a t-shirt of Joshua's. He supposed wearing a different outfit than his pumpkin pant romper every once in a while was more hygienic. As he leaned against a stone nearby he pursed his lips.

"Argento?" he asked. She glanced up at him in expectation.

"Did I actually glow during the Drag Show?"

Argento furrowed her brows. "Of course you glowed, Sora. You shot out the footlights."

"Why hasn't anyone been talking about it?" Sora asked. Argento chuckled.

"When I say glow I don't mean you shone like a light bulb. It was more of a static- like the time Sota confronted Eraqus."

"Oh," Sora whispered. Argento patted his shoulder. "There was static coming from the audience too, Sora. It was one hundred fifty people to one. I'm sure the lights broke because of the tension between the stage and the house."

"What does that mean?" asked Sora. Argento bit her lip in deliberation. Then she took a stick and drew a circle with a line through the center in the sand. The left side of the circle was Sora. The right was the audience. The line between was their energy meeting.

"Have you noticed how nearly every freshman in your class experienced their first burst of power when they were in a very tight emotional situation?"

Sora pursed his lips as he thought about it. Every exhibition of his friends' powers occurred during a homeroom graded face off. Pence's camera flash, Beat's skateboard, Shiki's cat, Sota and Neku's pins. Riku's darkness. Argento grinned and pointed to the line dividing the center of the circle. "Tension," she intoned. "Tension creates energy. Energy creates power. Once you know it's there, you figure out how to control it. That's what first semester is all about."

"So you have to know magic exists to wield it?" Sora chirped. Argento furrowed her brows.

"Sora, there is a difference between magic and power. Magic is when you channel the power within you through an object to engage a certain element. There's always a formula. Power is intuitive."

Sora found himself sliding to sit on the peak grass. As he mulled things over he picked on his white soles. "So why isn't everyone everywhere magical?"

"Powerful, Sora," Argento corrected. Then she engaged Destiny Islands as an example, using the sand to accentuate her points.

"Say there is an island full of people with latent power- no need for it. Harmony." Argento drew a smaller circle beside the tension circle and filled it with squares. "Then, something happens to disrupt that harmony." She inserted a dot. "Tension is created. Ultimately, a few will step forward and recognize the power within them." Several of the squares darkened.

"The Hero Law?" asked Sora. He thought he had read about it in one of Roxas' library books. Argento scoffed but nodded.

"Vulpes' Law. I never said those recognizing their power were heroes. But in an instance of tension, someone always gives."

"There will always be a door to the light!" Sora cried. Argento snorted.

"There will always be a victor," she muttered. "And the victors are the ones writing the Laws." In irritation she drove her stick through the mud and stood. Sora scrambled up to meet her.

"Wait a minute," he muttered. Then, clutching the rim of Joshua's t-shirt in his hands, he asked Argento what the Academy was all about.

"If anyone can discover the power inside them, then anyone can be a hero, right? How does this school choose? Why don't they just let everyone in? Why aren't there hero schools everywhere?"

"Shinra is not willing to teach slow learners," Argento responded. "And making everyone a hero would defeat their purpose."

"So they only take talented people?" Sora asked with a gulp. He hoped he had talent. Argento stood.

"To be honest, Sora," she started, gnawing at her cheek as she thought, "I don't believe in talent. I don't believe people are born to rule."

"Oh," Sora responded in surprise. He did not know how this answered his question, but he felt as though Argento were telling him something important. Something personal.

"I believe people are shaped by their experiences. Really, you boil any hero to the bone and what do you get? Whom they know, what they have, where they were, and what they believe in."

"Does that mean I can't be a hero?" Sora said. Argento blinked down at him. Her expression drew gaunt. When she asked why he wanted to be a hero, Sora shrugged.

"Is the gift to protect a wish of yours?" she asked. Sora nodded with vigor. Argento's burning eyes made him shrink.

"All who seek to be heroes are killers, Sora," she hissed. "Heroes feed on despair and hopelessness. They suck friends dry and hide them in their growing shadow. Never aim to be a hero, Sora. Harmony. Love. Aim for that." As she turned to continue running, Sora stopped her and asked if the school was preparing for the worst. She murmured that it was. But not in the way Sora expected. Thoughts of what Sota said to Eraqus wrung through his head again. Why would a famous key blade wielder let Shinra run his school? Why would he need a bunch of suits, anyway? As Sora furrowed his brows, he asked if Shinra had powers, too.

"I've never seen Reno use any," he elaborated.

"Reno does not need a power," returned Argento. "He's already got it."

"That's what people keep saying," responded Sora in a mutter. Argento had begun jogging again. Now that Sora's mind was on Sota, he could not keep the thoughts away. "Why did you say Sota was talented after he fought with Eraqus?" he asked.

"Because the static coming from his body was so strong it burned my hands," Argento huffed. "When "normal people"- people who have not been genetically modified or are not born with superhuman abilities- first exhibit power, it is usually through the help of a weapon. But Sota did not need one."

"So when those bells healed me on my first week of school, was that my power?" asked Sora. Argento's expression fell.

"The only way you could have cast that spell, Sora, was through a weapon."

"But I don't have a weapon," Sora responded. Argento shrugged.

"Not all weapons are material. The key blade, for example, derives purely from its wielder's heart."

"So I have a key blade inside me?" Sora cried. Argento shrugged.

"Or someone else cast that spell for you. Which means that if you do not manage to summon a key blade by the end of the semester, one of the key blade wielders at this academy is going to be in very big trouble."

Sora grimaced. Someone else might have cast the cure spells on him during his first week of school? As he held onto the hope that he had cast them himself, and that there was a key blade somewhere in his heart waiting to reveal itself, Sora asked how Argento knew so much about the key blade if she did not wield one herself.

"It's my job," she sighed. "I build weaponry. That is why the key blade fascinates me. It is an unforgeable weapon. Or, at least, unforgeable from a material perspective."

As they neared the school, Sora's mind returned to Sota and Nao's expulsion.

"So if Sota goes back all staticky to a world full of normal people, how will he cope?" Sora inquired. Argento chuckled and said that there would be quite a bit of tension in Shibuya for the next few years. "If he becomes a hairdresser like he said, the power will eventually return to sleep. Hopefully since he knows it's there, he'll be able to work on it by himself. But that takes desire and determination, which I don't think he has."

"He has desire and determination for Nao!" blustered Sora as the jog picked up. Argento laughed and agreed. "That's what I told him," she grinned. "I told him to be ready in case Shinra decides to come after either of them."

"Well, if Shinra ever decides to hook me to a lab table and get out their scalpels, I'll know where to run," Sora shot back with a giggle. The air grew tense immediately. When he glanced towards Argento to see what happened, his smile slopped away.

"I think that is a smart way of thinking," she hissed. "I think that is a very smart way of thinking."

Speaking ceased for the rest of the run. Not necessarily because Sora felt like he had crossed a moral line. It was more of a threshold, a step from warm sunshine into a cold, cramped basement. It was a different world. It scared him. When they reached the school again, Sora thanked Argento for her help and trudged up to the grand hall for breakfast. Usually he skipped it on account of combat class, but Rosso was still absent, and it was a Friday. As Sora skipped his way down the breakfast line to pick out toast, rashers, eggs, hash browns, and porridge, he glanced around for people he knew. One of the kitchen staff told him he was unparalleled in the Drag Show. When Sora leaned forward to talk about it, someone shoved him in the arm and told him to move along. When he turned to see who it was, his shoulders shot up.

Riku's eyes burned in surprise as he looked down at Sora. He must not have recognized him in jogging shorts and with his hair tied back. When Sora smiled to speak, Riku whipped around and began to stalk off. He had left a half plate of toast and eggs in the middle of the line. When Nimo called for him to come back, the silverette ignored him. Sora called out to him and tried transporting him his tray of toast and eggs. When he prodded the boy in the arm, Riku slapped his hand away and stomped his foot. His teeth gnashed. Sora reeled back as the dark aura bubbling around the boy's chest singed the hair of his arms.

"What does it take for you to leave me the fuck alone!" Riku roared. For a moment, black bubbling smoke whipped around his shoulders. Then, as quickly as it had come, the dark aura disappeared. Riku blinked around in shock. His cheeks pinked. Then Nimo burst out laughing behind him. Sora shrank under their stare. As Riku turned to leave again, Sora cried "no," and indicated the breakfast line with his head cast in submission.

"You need to eat, Riku, so I won't stop you," he mumbled. He grabbed his tray and moved down the line. As he did, Nimo stayed at his side. "Great job in the Drag Show, Sora," he whispered out of Riku's earshot. Then, with a wink, "You make a nice woman." Sora responded with a weak nod. He did not know if Nimo's admission was an insult or a compliment. After mumbling, "thanks," he took his food tray and moved for a table. When he sat down to tuck into his porridge alone, he felt an arm brush against his side and hot breath against his shoulder. Was Nimo following him? When he turned to see who it was, his stomach dropped.

Vanitas grinned down at him. When Sora glanced around for an escape route or helping hand, he found none. He was surrounded by people that he knew by face or name, but for some reason they would not approach him. Vanitas' hand fell upon Sora's shoulder and wrenched it to face him, making Sora gasp back a shriek. The dark boy squatted by his chair now, looking up at him through thick black eyelashes.

"Great job on the drag show," he cooed. "Interest has spiked. Everyone is curious."

"It's a fun club," Sora croaked. Vanitas laughed. Was Sora dreaming?

"All the upperclassmen are hitting the house on Avenida at ten. Are you coming?"

"What?" Sora barked. His knuckles were white from clinging to the table.

"The warehouse, termite!" Vanitas laughed. Sora's brows furrowed. Vanitas' words flowed off his tongue like acid cubes on a bed of velvet. Sora found himself chuckling along. Vanitas rapped him on the back. To his horror, the dark boy plopped down beside him. Sora felt countless eyes on his back.

"Well, me and Sota and Nao were planning on going to the concert hall for synthwave night," gulped Sora in apology. Vanitas threw back his head and cackled. It made Sora wince. When Vanitas glanced at him again, his eyes were so hot and sharp they nearly threw Sora off his chair.

"Don't be a dipshit, termite. Can't you go to two clubs in one night?"

"I guess so," Sora gulped, a nervous smile playing across his cheeks. Vanitas patted his neck and winked, adding, "The Avenida party is only for upperclassmen. But I'm sure if you dressed as Rosso they'd let you in, no questions asked."

"Oh," responded Sora. Vanitas wanted him to dress as a woman for an upperclassman party? He did not even know where or what the house on Avenida was.

"Riku's been there," Vanitas added. Sora snapped to attention. Riku?

"And Nao and Sota and whoever else you want to come can. Just dress up." With that, Vanitas ruffled his hair and left him to his own devices, snatching one of his pieces of toast and three of his rashers on his way off. Sora glanced down at the remains of his breakfast in tears. He was upset and he did not know why. Rubbing his eyes clean, he glanced around for familiar faces. Usually Roxas hit the cafeteria before class for coffee. But Sora could not find him anywhere. For some reason, he felt like he needed him. It had been almost a month since he had had a proper conversation with him. The longer they stayed apart, and the closer it came to Sota and Nao's departure, the greater the fear that clung to Sora's back constantly grew. With a sigh he trudged his uneaten food back to the breakfast line and asked for a takeaway box. Maybe his appetite would return by lunch.

* * *

 **Thank you for the reviews! 3 Last chapter was a blast to write and came from binge watching RuPaul. But with every mountain comes a deep valley! Will Sora follow Vanitas' suggestion and go to the party on Avenida? If so, what will he discover there?! Where the hell is Roxas? Will Riku ever stop being a dick? Stay tuned!**


	35. The Warehouse on Avenida

**Warning:** language and drugs

* * *

Sora dressed up in Nao's dorm with Sota at his side. For their last weekend as a team, Nao decided they would go to synthwave night in drag. Sora had not yet told them about the party on Avenida. But the way they were all dressing now, without Sora even having had to suggest the idea in the first place, it seemed like fate. Right now Sota was sitting on Nao's bed in a dark blue mini dress as she applied his makeup. He was wearing a bomber jacket to hide his shoulders. Nao had added padding to the shoulders of her own bomber jacket to make herself look more male. Her hair was tucked into a baseball cap. She brushed aside stray strands as she applied Sota's eyeliner. Though his eyebrows had been glued and dusted with powder, his cheekbones and brow diminished with bronzer, and his eyes widened with falsies and white liner, he still looked slightly masculine. At least, more masculine than Sora had during the Drag Show. Even without makeup, Sora looked like a tomboyish girl with a hair problem. He hoped his jaw would fill out in the next few years. As he stared in Nao's mirror and padded his chubby cheeks, Nao slapped Sota's thigh and told him to sit still.

"You're going to make me mess up!" she scowled.

"This isn't a masterpiece," growled Sota in return. When Nao threatened to leave one half of his face undone, he fell to sulking in silence. Once she was finished with him, Nao moved onto Sora. When he asked if he could have a Rosso inspired outfit, Nao asked why. Sora blushed and responded that he just liked her style. Nao narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Then she brushed it off and got to work. Sora's shoulders fell in relief.

"You've got such good bone structure, Sora," she sighed as she worked. Sora pursed his lips in worry.

"And I don't?" snapped Sota. Nao ignored him. When Sota tried fishing around for food, Nao told him not to eat anything until they were an hour into synthwave night. Sota asked if he could drink, but Nao said he would mess up his makeup.

"Our last weekend out and I can't even drink?" Sota snapped.

"You agreed to this, Sota!" Nao returned.

"I didn't agree to starving!" Sota snapped back. "If I'd known I wasn't allowed to eat I would have had dinner!"

"Can I eat something before you finish my face?" asked Sora in worry. He felt a preliminary stomach growl coming on as he thought of how hungry he might get later. Nao said it was fine if he ate because he wasn't as clumsy with his food as Sota.

"Now come on!" Sota barked. "You know that that is plain untrue, Nao. Have you seen Sora eat a burger?"

In the short burst of argument Sora nabbed some chips from Nao's dresser and munched on them. A hefty dose of crumbs lined the floor by the time Nao got back to his makeup. As they finished up they heard a knock on the door. Everyone froze. Sota stood and sauntered to it, peering through the peephole and letting his shoulders relax.

"Neku," he muttered as he went to unlock the door. Sora's jaw dropped. Before he could object, Neku slipped into the room and leaned against the side of Nao's dresser. He looked Sora and Sota up and down in surprise. Then, with a quick recovery he asked when they were planning on leaving. Sota glanced at his watch and then eyed Nao, who scowled and said she would be ready in thirty minutes if Sora stopped fidgeting.

"We could go in an hour if you let me do you," she added with a grin. Neku's cheeks went fire red. Then it clicked in his mind and he muttered that he was not dressing up.

"Can't come if you don't," shot Sota.

"Then I'll go on my freaking own," returned Neku, undaunted. When he spotted Sora his mouth curled in horror. The boy was getting fake eyelashes put on. One of his eyes swiveled about as the lid over the other hung lazily under Nao's vice grip.

"It's not bad," quipped Sora as Nao nearly stuck her mascara brush in his eye. Neku said he would pass. When he took a second look at Sota he snorted and said, "nice shoulders." Sota scowled and went to the corner to sulk. Neku watched Nao as she applied the last of Sora's mascara and lipstick. When she turned to Neku and asked what he thought, he shook his head.

"It's weird," he muttered. "Sora really does look like a girl."

"Makes you not know what to think, right?" beamed Nao, examining her handy work with pride.

"But without the makeup I really do look like a strong guy, right?" returned Sora. For a moment there was silence. Then Neku busted out laughing. When Sora demanded to know what was funny, Neku just shook his head. Then he shrugged and sat down before Nao. When she asked what he was doing, he said he would not mind a bit of blush or something.

"If you have some shorts or something, I could wear that," he added in a mutter.

"You want to dress up as well?" asked Nao. Neku did not say yes or no. Nao took his silence as a yes and got to work. Neku was a much better makeup guinea pig than he was dorm mate. He did everything Nao told him to. It was difficult to get him to remove the massive collared hoodie and headphones that normally shielded his chin from the rest of the world, but Nao was able to coax them off of him so that he sat with his arms crossed over his small, bare chest. Sora watched in awe as Neku sat through five minutes of eyeliner treatment. When Neku was finished, Sota chuckled.

"Sora's not the only one who looks like a girl," he grinned. Neku told him to shut up, but sat still as Nao cupped her hands around his cheeks and swiveled him towards the mirror. Seeing himself gave him a start. But as he got used to it, he seemed pleased. When he asked what clothing Nao had, she pulled out several options. Neku settled on a skort and a cropped high collared, sleeveless hoodie. As he shimmied into the skort and put the hoodie over his head, Nao asked if he wanted a ponytail or a wig. Neku responded that he wanted a ponytail. Nao gave him a long orange one. She did not have any shoes for him, so Neku remained in his white sneakers, as Sota did his docs. Sora put on the heels he wore for the drag competition. Nao popped a high collared crop top over his head, slicked his hair back, sprayed it red, and excavated a fringed, red leather mini skirt from the bottom of her drawer. When Sota saw it his eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

"How long have you had that skirt?" he asked. Nao shrugged and said she bought it in the sixth grade. Sota and Neku blinked in surprise. Sora chirped that it was very shiny. When he shimmied it on and wobbled to standing, the boys' temples creased with worry.

"Um, Nao?" Sota asked. "Don't you think Sora looks too, well?"

"Too what?" Nao barked. Sota pursed his lips and looked at Neku meaningfully. Neku shook his head.

"Too what?" Nao repeated. But Sota mumbled that it was nothing. After a stare down Nao gave up and pulled her padded bomper jacket over her collared shirt. Then she readjusted her baseball cap, checked her massive belt, and gave a twirl. When Sota took in the finished product, he asked if she raced four wheelers. Nao gasped and looked in the mirror in horror.

"Do I look that bad?" she asked. Neku shrugged and said she did look a little cowboy-lost-in-trailer-park.

"I was going for James Dean!" she cried. Neku and Sota helped her into a more suitable outfit, until she looked like a fashionable boy band member. She seemed pleased enough with the final product to ask if everyone was ready to go. By that time it was already half past ten.

"Let's get cracking!" Sota sang. There were loud voices in the hall. People must have been getting ready to go out for the weekend. Sora wondered if any of them were going to Avenida. He wondered what high school parties were like in the Land of Departure. If they were anything like the ones in Destiny Islands, they were simple pier affairs. All you seemed to need was a beach ball, beer, chips, Radio Luca 1, and a bonfire. Sora had never snuck into one himself, but he often saw them going on when he, Riku, and Kairi returned from playing on the island late at night. Apparently Wakka once hit a skinny dipper with his boat on the way home and had to call the paramedics. As Sora chuckled in reverie, Sota peeped through the keyhole to see if the coast was clear. When he called for everyone to follow him, they snuck out of Nao's dorm and hurried down the hall unseen.

Students were allowed to roam in and around the school till one am on weekends, but Sora's group acted as though they were breaking the rules. For fun they slipped through the auditorium stage door and flew through the wings cackling and shouting. When they reached center stage and the door closed shut behind them, they howled into the darkness and listened to their echoing voices. Then they dismounted the stairs and charged through the aisles to the school's backdoors. Once they breached the building completely, they charged down the foot of the mountain towards the maze. When Sora asked why they weren't going down the mountain path, Sota shushed him and said he knew a better way. Soon the quartet was sliding down the mountain as if they were on snowboards. The steep dip began to flatten until the group made contact with a thin rope bridge leading from the middle of the peak the school sat upon to the peak beside. From there, there were steep stone steps leading directly into the town below. Sora grinned as they mounted the bridge. Neku seemed terrified. But everyone hurried safely across until they were dashing down the stone steps one after another.

"How did you guys find out about this way?" asked Sora. Nao shrugged.

"Me and Sota did a lot of hiking on the weekends," she chirped. Sora's heart fell as she said it. When Neku's shoulders sagged, Sora knew he felt the same way. He wished he had hiked with Sota and Nao from the beginning of the school year.

"You guys shouldn't have done all this stuff alone," Neku whispered. Sota glanced towards him in surprise. Then he chuckled and murmured that that was true.

"We should have done more stuff together," he sighed. "But all we have is now. So let's make the best of the time we've got."

"How about we go to the North Peak tomorrow?" asked Nao. "Wild pixie plums grow there. We could pick a bunch. There's succulent fruit, too."

"We could get ice cream!" Sora cried with joy. The rest of the party smiled in approval. By now they had reached the bottom of the steps. Music blared towards them from the other side of town. Hordes of kids their age walked towards the homes and music halls in the distance, chattering and laughing to one another. Sora shrank as he recognized them. He thought he saw Joshua with a group of upperclassmen in the distance. Either he was dressed in drag again or it was a girl that looked a lot like him.

"Is Joshua tagging along?" Sota asked Neku. Neku scoffed. "Joshua is not my friend," he hissed. "Why would I invite him along?"

"I don't know," responded Sota. "He just seems to like you a lot."

Neku muttered that Joshua liked annoying him. Sota shrugged and jogged to Nao's side. When he tried slipping his hand around her waist, she slapped his palm and said she was supposed to do that.

"I'm the guy, remember?" she cooed. Sota blushed and shrugged, giggling as Nao slipped her hand around his hip. The height difference was comical. When Nao's hand trailed lower down Sota's back, Neku called for her to be a gentleman. Sora giggled in embarrassment. Couples here acted so different than on Destiny Islands. It made his heart flutter to see how close Nao and Sota were.

"Sora, stop gawking," Neku muttered beside him. Sora shook back to reality and trudged forward. When he nearly broke his neck tripping on the cobblestone in his heels, Neku caught him and propped him up. Suddenly, five to ten men were surrounding him asking if he was okay. Nao and Sota glanced back to see what was going on, their eyes widening when they noticed Sora and Neku caught in the sea of testosterone.

"Do you need me to check your leg?" one especially friendly man asked Sora. Sora shook his head and said it was fine, just a small sprain. The man gasped and nearly wrenched him off his feet. "Can I buy you a drink?" he demanded. "Maybe some ice for rubbing?"

"Well, a water bottle would be pretty sweet," Sora piped up. The man broke out laughing.

"You're so funny," he cooed. "I've never met a girl like you."

"Girl?" Sora barked. Then he threw back his head and howled with laughter. When the surrounding men looked on in confusion, Sota came over and stated in a tenor voice, "we're men." The swiftness with which the team of testosterone escaped was breathtaking. Sora looked upon the spectacle in wonder, slightly miffed that he had been cheated out of a free bottle of water. When he asked what that was all about, Nao snorted and responded, "Welcome to being a girl on Saturday night."

"So far, it's not half bad!" Sora chirped. "I'd trust those guys with my bag!" Sota and Nao gave each other a grim glance. Then Sota suggested enacting a buddy system. Neku suggested Sota go with Sora. Sota and Nao agreed.

"We'll all stay in a group, but if one of us gets separated, we have to know where our buddy is."

The rest of the group nodded and started looking for the concert hall hosting synthwave night. When they got there, Neku tried pulling his hood over his head. Nao stopped him and told him to live dangerously. Neku scowled but left his hood down. As the team got in line to go in, Nao tapped Sora's shoulder. When Sora asked what was wrong, she grimaced.

"I just want you to be safe," she chirped. "If someone comes behind you, bring your stiletto on his heel. Then punch him in the throat and knee him in the groin. Got it? And you always have the right to say no."

"Nao, I spent half a semester with Rosso," Sora murmured. "I'll be fine!"

"I know!" Nao responded. Then she rubbed Sora's shoulder. His arm prickled under her touch as he felt a strange glimmer flicker through the pit of his stomach. He touched his abdomen in confusion to feel what it was. But when Nao let go of him, it went away. "Tell me if you need me," she winked. Sora nodded and blushed. Then he murmured that Nao looked very pretty.

"What?" she called. The DJ had just turned the music up. Sora repeated himself. Nao posed and asked what kind. "Any pretty," Sora shrugged with a blush. Nao smiled. Then she pulled him towards the music hall pit with Sota and Neku. The four of them huddled close as Neku called a song suggestion to the DJ. When the DJ asked Neku to come closer and repeat, Neku leaned over the edge of the stage and screeched, "Long Dream Synthpanda Remix!" The DJ asked for him to scream louder. When Neku bent closer, his skin drained white. Then he disappeared into the crowd. When Sota and Nao screamed his name, Neku charged into them and nearly knocked them over. When Sota asked what had happened, Neku pointed to the DJ and whispered, "Demyx."

"What?" asked Sota.

"It's Demyx!" snarled Neku. "A teacher at the school! He'll recognize me!"

"No he won't!" Nao retorted. "The lights are dimmed! It'll look more suspicious if you hide. He'll shine a spotlight on you."

"Whoever suggested the next song and ran is going to get the spotlight if they don't come forward!" Demyx called from the DJ booth. Sota rolled his eyes, cupped his hands around his mouth, and bellowed, "Long Dream Synthhandle Remix!"

"Panda!" Neku corrected with a hiss.

"Panda!" Sota boomed.

"Honda?" Demyx asked.

"Synthpanda!" Neku screeched.

"Ah!" Demyx nodded. "A classic! Long Dream Synthpanda remix coming in hot, for the smoking redhead in the purple-cropped hoodie! I hope you're not one of my students, because if you were, I'd be seeing you after class!"

"Dear gods," Nao muttered in disgust. Neku wrinkled his nose and retorted, "I'll pass, tool!"

The crowd cheered as Demyx pretended to be burned.

"Ouch!" he snapped from the booth. "Redhead's got some fire! I knew a man by the name of a toooolll," he sang. "He and I teach at the same schooooolll. Anyone want more?"

"No," screeched Nao and Sota.

"If Fire Princess sings, I will, too," Demyx retorted through his mike. The crowd screamed for more.

"Fuck you all," Neku responded flatly.

"Get up, here!" Demyx cried. Nao began to laugh as the spotlight fell straight on Neku's grave face. Wordlessly he climbed over the edge of the DJ booth and stood at Demyx' side. Several whistles ascended with him. After he adjusted his skort, Demyx told him to sing the next verse.

"Teaching fake students is his real joobbb," Neku sang, "He can't get a life because he's such a sloobbb."

Nao and Sota cried with laughter. Sora bounced up and down on his stiletto heels. Whatever toes hurt before were now numb. All he could do was smile.

"But every weekend I slip into the niiightttt," Demyx responded. "And now I've got one hot red ticket in siigghtttt."

"Your bars are disturbed and your pickup's a disasterrrr," Neku returned in a high tenor. Then, in a flat voice he added, "and if you dare touch my butt I'll tell our headmaster."

Demyx's hand stopped mid reach. When he peered closer into Neku's face his mouth dropped.

"Are you?" he began.

"Suck my dick, water sprite," Neku responded into the mike. Then he added, "my songs for the rest of the night," and finished with, "Long Dream synthpanda Remix."

As Neku hopped from the stage the color drained from Demyx' face. From the booth he announced, "Long Dream" in a squeak. The lights dimmed lower. The bass turned up. A dark, rumbling synth beat crackled across the speakers scattered throughout the hall as "Is it illusion?" thrummed on repeat. When the synthified melody kicked in and the massive disco ball at the hall's center began to turn, the crowd roared and moved like a stampede of elephants. Sora found himself head banging with Nao as Neku thrashed with Sota at his side. When Neku's second song of choice came on, a boy a few years older than Sora asked to dance with him. Nao responded that he was with her. When the boy tried dancing with Neku, Sota said he was with him. This happened several more times in the space of thirty minutes before Sora decided to take a breather and get a drink of water.

As he sat at the bar with a glass of tap water, Sota sat at his side and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Is my makeup running?" he asked. Sora shook his head and asked if his was okay as well. Sota nodded. "Nao put something called "setting mist" on it that's supposed to keep it on," he huffed. "I hope I can get it off later."

"We'll find a way," Sora muttered. Then he pursed his lips and asked Sota if guys were coming up to him, too. Sota shook his head and grinned. "If we were in a gay club it would probably be different."

"How?" Sora asked in disbelief. Sota chuckled. "I look like a guy, Sora."

"Well, yeah, you're a guy," responded Sora. "But why are they coming up to me?"

"Well…" Sota responded, wetting his lips. Then he grimaced. "Don't take this the wrong way, Sora, but you make a very pretty girl."

"Oh?" Sora asked with a blush. Sota shrugged and scratched the back of his head. "Neku looks cute, too. But… I don't want you taking this the wrong way, but you're sweet and short and peppy…"

"And?" demanded Sora. Sota sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Think of it this way. When Nao and I used to go clubbing in Shibuya, I'd have to fight guys off of her. She's really pretty, and guys in clubs can be disgusting and pushy towards pretty girls."

"So?" snapped Sora.

"So you look hot, Sora," returned Sota. "And guys are interested."

"But I'm just being nice!" cried Sora. "Should I stop?"

"Just be more like Neku," encouraged Sota.

"What? A bear?" blubbered Sora. "A snap attack?"

"Oh gods," groaned Sota. Then, with a smile he responded, "just don't dance with anyone but us."

When Sora finished his water, he and Sota returned to the group. On the fifth song in, Nao decided she needed to go the bathroom. Sora agreed. Soon all four of them were traipsing towards the women's and men's rooms. When Sora tried going for the men's, someone stopped him and pointed to the ladies.

"I know it can get confusing sometimes," the woman with the magenta bob said. "Wouldn't want it to be me!"

"But-," Sora tried responding, but Nao, said "thank you," and steered him towards the women's. All four of them decided to go in together. Sota and Nao got some weird looks, but other than that no one objected until Sora shoved Nao's hand away.

"Why is everyone on my back?" he asked with tears in his eyes. Going out in drag was not as fun as he thought it would be. As stalls opened up and Sota and Neku shuffled in, Nao patted Sora's back and told him to think of it as a night in a different body.

"You're a lady for the night!" she cooed.

"I've never been so close to women peeing," Sora gulped.

"Okay," Nao responded flatly. "I wasn't thinking of it that way. Oh, a stall is open."

Sora trudged into the stall as if trudging to Master Eraqus' office for expulsion proceedings. But the inside was just like the stalls in a boys' bathroom. He shrugged, untucked, and pissed. When he was finished readjusting he flushed and trundled to the sinks to wash his hands. As Nao slipped in at his side, he asked if she wanted to go to a house party later on.

"Where?" she asked.

"On Avenida," responded Sora. Nao's brows furrowed. She asked how he found out about it.

"Oh, I can't remember," Sora responded. "Kairi, I think. Hayner. Maybe Roxas."

"You haven't talked to any of them in weeks," Nao intoned. A woman behind told her to hurry up, so she dried her hands and followed Sora back to the bar. Neku and Sota were sitting down waiting for them.

"No, I talked to them last week," Sora blubbered, wiping sweat from his forehead and grinning to conceal his lie. "Maybe it was Cloud! Yeah, Cloud!"

"I think the woman who held the door for Sora was another professor," muttered Neku to Sota in a separate conversation. "Used to live in Shibuya, I think. Uzuki?"

"I've never met professors who party like this," Sota grumbled. "It's like they're on vacation."

"They're not professors," snarled Neku. "And we're not students. We're soldiers in training."

"Sora wants to go to the party on Avenida," Nao cut in. Sota and Neku blinked before glancing at Sora in shock.

"What?" Sota asked in confusion.

"Cloud invited me," Sora responded. Beside him Neku snorted.

"Or Kairi or Roxas, I can't really remember. Someone!" snapped Sora.

"Damn right someone told you, or you wouldn't have asked to go," responded Neku. His knowing look made Sora shrink. When Sota asked why Sora wanted to go, Sora rolled his eyes and said because his friends would be there.

"Aren't we your friends?" Nao smiled, holding Sora's hand. Though Sora's heart fluttered again, he stood firm and said he had lots of different friends.

"I just want to go for ten minutes," he pleaded.

"Avenida is for upperclassmen only, Sora," Neku snapped. "You're not getting in."

"Cloud promised to let me in!" Sora returned with confidence.

"Cloud never goes to Avenida," Neku retorted. "I know because I've talked to him about how lame partying in a dark warehouse is. I also know that Vanitas is cohosting, and Riku is going with Xehanort Nimoy."

"He is going?" Sora beamed. When Sota and Nao leaned closer, he tried pretending that he did not care. But it was too late.

"Sora, did Vanitas say you could go if you dressed as Rosso?" Nao asked. Sora's mouth fell open. How could she have guessed? Before he knew it, tears were brimming at the edges of his eyes.

"If you guys are going to act like stinks, I'll go by myself!" he murmured in a hoarse whisper. "I don't need you tagging along since Vanitas said I could come!"

"Sora, don't you want to spend the rest of the night with us?" Nao pleaded. "We were going to go for burgers and ice cream and then head back for a movie night at the dorm!"

"You can get burgers and ice cream. I'll talk to Riku," Sora responded.

"You're really going to give up your last weekend with us for Vanitas and Riku?" Sota warned. Sora nodded. Nao and Sota exchanged glances. Then they agreed to come with Sora to the Avenida warehouse. By now it was half twelve. Demyx had begun packing up his station. As synthwave officially ended, normal top of the pops filtered across the speaker system. The disco ball was replaced by standard flashing club lights. As Nao, Sota, Neku, and Sora filed towards the front door, Demyx stopped them and apologized to Neku for his behavior. When he recognized Sota and Nao, he snorted.

"Look," he sighed. "I'd appreciate, mano a mano, if you didn't tell the rest of the faculty about that accidental hand slip. I know the rest of you guys won't last till the end of the semester, but… still."

"I'll make sure to tell the right people," Neku responded. Then he turned and walked through the concert hall's front double doors with Sota, Nao, and Sora trailing behind. None turned to see Demyx's reaction. Either he was too shocked or not bothered enough to follow them out. So the party set their sights on the growing metropolis ahead.

Sora did not even know where the Avenida house was, so he counted on Neku to lead the way. As they walked, Sota and Nao set their hands against his shoulders.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to, Sora," Nao warned.

"We'll be by your side the whole night," Sota added with a worried smile.

"Don't let Vanitas get you alone," responded Neku from the front. "I heard he wanted to get back at you for something." Nao gritted her teeth. Sora ignored all of them and marched forward. When hazy green smog floated from a dark set of dilapidated buildings on the distant edge of town, Sora's heart beat fast.

"There it is," Sota muttered. It was like a mirage of neon light against a backdrop of cool greys and blues. A strange mixture of mangrove, rubber, alcohol, and smoke burned on the breeze. A clash of two different worlds crumbled in the darkness before Sora's false lashed eyes. An ancient apartment complex slept at the edge of the encroaching forest. Before it extended a barbed wire fence. Inside sprawled a construction sight filled with fire lit trashcans and kids of varying ages. At the lot's center was a warehouse, perfectly built but disowned. A "foreclosed" sign hung on the barbed wire before its gate. Sora recognized faces in the darkness. From the windows of the warehouse he noticed bodies dancing amongst flashing blue lights. The front double doors streamed open every few minutes as people filed in. A familiar cackle made Sora's stomach churn. His knees felt weak. Sota and Nao gripped his shoulders hard. Neku kept the lead. Somehow, Sora kept walking.

A couple of upperclassmen opened the barbed wire fence for Sora and his crew, whistling as the four of them walked in. When they reached the door, a rising cry of delight pierced their ears. Vanitas stood with his arms crossed before him. Black eyeliner rimmed his golden eyes. A black t-shirt with cutoff sleeves covered the bronze skin of his chest and abdomen. His sides were bare to his hips. When he raised his shoulders the top barely covered his nipples. Jet-black hair shone from the pits of his arms as he cheered Sora inside.

"The termite made the jump!" he sang. When Sora gave an assenting croak, Vanitas cackled and thumped him on the back. Then he pointed to Nao, Neku, and Sota. "I see you've brought an infestation."

"You're the termite," hissed Sota in return. "Bring me a torch and I'll burn you out."

"Hey!" a voice called from inside. A girl with long blond pigtails popped to Vanitas' side and asked who was giving trouble.

"No one, Mika," Vanitas responded, "just inviting some friends."

"More underclassmen?" the girl responded. When she saw Sora, her face lit up.

"Holy fuck!" she screeched. "You're Rosso!"

"Sora," Sota corrected. Mika pinched Sora's cheeks and made pet noises.

"Look at him! He's fucking adorable!"

"He's cuter than you are, R," Vanitas responded, winking at Sora as Mika gasped.

"Fuck off!" she barked. Then she turned to Sora and invited him in. "You'll be the hit of the night."

"He's not a circus animal," Nao retorted. Mika's glare made her disintegrate. Neku and Sota puffed out their chests as Sora asked if they could come in as well.

"Only you," Mika said.

"If they don't come in, I don't either!" Sora barked. Vanitas whispered in Mika's ear. A devilish flash flickered in his eyes. Mika nodded. Then, Vanitas herded Sora and company inside and summoned his key blade, using it to rap against the metal coat hanger at the door's side.

"Hey motherfuckers!" he bellowed to the crowd inside. "We've got a special guest appearance from Rosso the Crimson!"

Everyone turned around. When they saw Sora, they cheered. Suddenly he was being moved and stood upon a pool table at the warehouse lobby center. Random, seedy couches and blankets sat along the floor surrounding. Kids in skimpy outfits draped themselves across, freely touching as they watched Sora with smiles. Sora felt like he would faint. He could not breath.

"Do Rosso for us, Sora!" Mika called. When Sora scanned the crowd he noticed people he knew. Kuja, Leon, Joshua, Noel, Nimo, Riku, and Aerith. Others he knew by face but not by name. Sora thought he saw Sephiroth, an adjunct faculty member, leaning at the back of the room.

"Do Rosso or your posse go!" Vanitas bellowed.

"Bellow von more time, little rat, and I vill cut off your fat baby head and stick it on my mantelpiez," Sora scoffed in his best Rosso accent. The crowd went wild. Mika called for more.

"Who iz laughing?" Sora barked, eyeing everyone in the crowd. "I vill find you and fry you." When he looked for Riku, the boy had gone.

"You still want to fuck Reno?" called Vanitas.

"No, but I vill put hiz scalp on my train," Sora announced.

"Where is your train?" Mika asked.

"Being dry cleaned," retorted Sora. The call and response carried on for fifteen excruciating minutes. When Sora began running out of jokes, Mika decided it would be a good idea to call random people in the audience up for "punishment." After several volunteers let Sora spank them, Kuja and Juri Han, two senior level psychopaths Sora knew from Solo Performance with Larxene, suggested that all first years have their bare backside spanked with a wet cloth. The rest of the senior and junior class agreed with a round of cheers. The first victim was Joshua. Sora thought he had seen him in drag earlier in the night. It must have been someone else, because now Joshua wore boots, skinny jeans, a black blazer with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a white V-neck t-shirt, and his hair in a messy bun. Joshua gave a lubricated grin as he stumbled to the edge of the pool table. He hiked up his blazer and pulled down his jeans so that his pale backside barely showed. When Sora tried tapping it with the wet cloth, the material slapped against the skin and stuck so that Sora had to wrench it off. He could feel the sweat pouring down his arms. The senior class bellowed "harder!" Sora gulped and dragon tailed Joshua with a loud smack. Joshua yelped. The seniors cheered. The next victim was sought out.

Sota flat out refused. Neku disappeared suddenly. Leon guarded Aerith from having to go. In a wild stroke of fate, Xehanort Nimoy and Nao appeared as the last freshmen standing.

"Spare one and spank one," tried Vanitas with glee. Sora bit his lip and looked from one to the other. He had no choice. He chose to spare Nao and spank Nimo. The upperclassmen erupted with excitement. All faces turned towards Nimo, who was being herded to the front of the room by Kuja, Juri, and several other seniors. When the two freshmen stood face to face, Sora in terror and Nimo in shock, Nimo asked if Sora was sure of what he was doing.

"What?" Sora squeaked.

"You've caused enough people to leave school, Sora," Nimo responded. "I'd be careful who I embarrassed next."

"Hurry the fuck up!" drawled Vanitas from behind.

"You can have your fun now," Nimo finished as he undid the button on his pants. "Let's see how you feel next week."

"What's going to happen next week?" whispered Sora. Nimo winked and turned around, his tan backside brandished for the upperclassmen to see. The ensuing blushes and squeals were tangible. Anger unfamiliar to Sora coursed through him as he stared down at Nimo's cool expression. A "do it" chant rose through the audience until Sora's hand shook so bad he could barely hold the wet rag. Then, sucking in a deep breath and putting on his best Rosso impersonation, he dragon tailed Nimo so hard the boy's hips bucked forward against the pool table. Sora and Nimo gasped together. The audience gaped. Then Vanitas broke into laughter. The rest of the room soon followed, collapsing and howling as Nimo pulled his pants back on. Sora was carried on four people's shoulders to a couch at the center of the room, where he was given a celebratory drink.

"A toast to Rosso the fucking Crimson!" Vanitas announced. The rest of the upperclassmen cheered and held up tiny, baby glasses of water. Sora held his high as well, downing it all in one gulp. When the liquid slipped down his throat he clutched his neck and hacked. It felt like he had swallowed fire. Vanitas howled laughter as he pumped Sora's back. When Sora demanded a drink, Vanitas gave him a bigger cup. Sora gulped it down and gagged harder.

"Water!" Sora gasped. Vanitas grinned and gave him a water bottle. Sora chugged it immediately and sighed in contentment.

"Damn, termite," Vanitas sighed beside him, his arm still around Sora's shoulder. "You should check before you drink random stuff." Sora nodded and wiped his eyes.

"What was that?" he croaked.

"Vodka," responded Vanitas. "Want some more?"

"No," coughed Sora in reply. The upperclassmen surrounding laughed. Sora looked at their faces in confusion and asked where Sota and Nao were. Then, he saw them standing a short distance away, looking around. When he called out to them they breathed a sigh of relief and rushed towards him, slipping between he and Vanitas to ask how he was doing.

"I thought I was drinking water," responded Sora. When Sota asked how much he had been given, R Mika responded, "four shots worth." Nao and Sota gaped.

"Wanna go home, Sora?" Nao chirped, scooting close and holding Sora's hands. He giggled at her touch. His cheeks were beginning to feel hot and his vision was fuzzy. Something was happening to him, but he did not know what. When Vanitas disappeared to the warehouse's makeshift "bar," the surrounding upperclassmen closed in like hyenas.

"How was it standing up to Eraqus?" asked one. When Sota realized the question was directed at him, he shrugged and said, "freeing," adding that he thought the academy was a joke.

"Don't we know it," the senior Kuja responded from a separate chair. "It doesn't get any better the longer you stay." As he spoke a tubby cigarette passed his way. He took a long drag, held it, and passed it further around. When it reached Nao, she bit her lip and asked Sota if he thought she should take it. Sota seemed conflicted as well.

"Isn't this you guys' last weekend here?" asked Mika. "Why don't you live a little? Tell us what happened."

Sota and Nao declined and passed the sweet smelling cigarette down the line, getting into a deep conversation concerning the academy faculty. It got so heated that when the stub passed around a third time, they took a drag without even thinking about it. When they weren't looking, Kuja slipped in beside Sora and told him to take a drag and hold it.

"Only let it out when I say," he winked. Sora grinned and took a long drag of the cigarette. Then he pursed his lips, held his nose, and waited. An itch started at the base of his throat that seared up until he started to cough. When Sora couldn't hold it any longer, he breathed out the sweet smoke and hacked until he could suck in fresh air. Kuja laughed and pumped Sora on the back. Mika asked how he felt. Sora tried to respond. But his speech was taken over by a fit of giggles. Soon Aerith and Joshua were plopping down by his side. They did not seem to be in much better condition than he was. Their faces looked different to Sora, their eyes slanted and their mouths cut as if from wax. Their cheeks pulsed shiny neon green, as if they had fireflies between their gums. Sora tried wiping his eyes to see more clearly, but Nao screeched for him to stop.

"You'll mess up your makeup!" she cooed. Her skin shone rose gold beneath her baseball cap. Little blue butterflies shimmered like diamonds around her teeth. It took Sora's breath away.

"You're so nice, Nao," he murmured, biting his lip to hold back tears. "I love you."

"Awwww," Aerith sighed. Joshua giggled. "What about me, Sora? Don't you love me?"

"I love Nao," Sora breathed.

"If you love her, kiss her!" Kuja announced. Without thinking Sora obeyed. As his eyes shut and his lips pressed to the side of Nao's mouth, Sota turned and gasped. Nao wrenched Sora away from her with a cry as Sota barreled between them. Kuja laughed hysterically behind.

"Sora, why did you do that?" Sota demanded.

"Because I love Nao," Sora replied, giggling without helping it.

"Lighten up, fishes," Kuja grinned.

"Yeah, grumpy bear, lighten up," Sora mirrored between snorts of laughter. When Sota suggested it was time for Sora to go home, Sora hid under the couch covers. When Sota tried wrenching him out, Kuja stepped between them. Both boys stood up. Nao and Mika told them to stop fighting as Vanitas slipped back from the bar with another round of shots.

"Leave it, Sota!" snapped Nao. As Sota and Kuja stared each other down, a ring formed around them. Sota tried in vain to grab Sora's arm so that they could leave. Sora objected by screaming and running under a table. Sota growled in irritation as Nao said she would look for Neku. Joshua agreed to help her. Aerith was being offered another drag of the sweet cigarette as she spoke with Sephiroth. When he whispered in her ear she bit her lip. Even though they were far away, Sora thought he could hear what they were saying. The smoke from the cigarette turned into faces as it fell on the metal coffee table at the couch's side. Sephiroth held out his hand. When Aerith took it, they glued together. Sephiroth pulled her to her feet and glued his other hand to her waist. The pair's hair floated as if underwater. Then they disappeared. As they did, Sora felt his chest crunch in. His heart felt like it would explode. For a moment he thought the legs of the metal table he hid beneath were bars of a prison cell. Panicking, Sora tried to stand but hit his head. He wailed. Before Sota could get to him, a dark silhouette with black skinny jeans bent towards him and picked him up. Soon Sora was being spirited out of the warehouse to an empty part of the lot at its north side. When he glanced into the liquid gold eyes of his savior, his throat constricted.

Vanitas.

* * *

 **Sorry to leave you guys with a cliff hanger. :/ I hadn't meant to. Fan fiction is being an absolute BITCH and won't let me upload jack shit, so you get half a chapter (yay! What's gonna happen next? You would have known if it weren't for uploading issues! I'm just a tad irritated) I hope it lets me upload in the future. It's depressing having lots written and not being able to share it. Hope you like it, until next time! Please like and review- ESPECIALLY if you know a quick fix for an uploader that won't let you upload documents, or copy and paste more than four paragraphs without going to a white window forever!**


	36. The Monster on Avenida

**Warning: language, drugs, sexual assault**

* * *

Vanitas hoisted Sora onto an upturned metal shipment box and pulled a pulsing green apple and bottle of water from his side. Sora shook like a leaf as he bit into the fruit's skin.

"You look pretty pale, termite," Vanitas cooed. "Looks like you took a pretty long drag."

"Not a cigarette," Sora croaked. Vanitas grinned. His eyes narrowed and glowed. His teeth looked sharp. "Why'm I seein' weird stuff?" Sora asked. Vanitas shrugged. "Combination of a few things." Vanitas' eyes beamed down like searchlights with little black tears in the middle.

"I gotta pee," Sora announced. When he remembered that he had tucked, he hopped off the metal shipment box and used the warehouse wall for support while he hiked up Nao's leather skirt, pulled down his pantyhose, and ripped away the sports tape between his legs. When his penis and balls were back to hanging he leaned forward and pissed against the wall, sighing in satisfaction as his bladder emptied. Suddenly the memory of why he had come in the first place reentered his mind.

"Whadda you know 'bout Riku?" Sora slurred. Vanitas sneered.

"What do you want to know, termite?"

"My name's Sora," Sora responded. Vanitas cackled.

"I know he's been looking for his sister. I know he fucked Rosso and that Nimo fucked him."

"Why'd you say somethin' like that?" Sora muttered as he shook. After pulling his spanx briefs on, he sighed and sat with his legs open and his back against the warehouse wall.

"Cause it's true," Vanitas continued. "They got really messed up at a party. Kuja or some fuck dared one to kiss the other's balls."

Sora laughed without helping it. "Thaz th' most ridiculous thing I ever heard," he said. It was worthy of a space in the primary school insult hall of fame right down with booty licker.

"That's super private information, though," Vanitas grinned. "Not even Ventus knows. If I told anyone else, Nimo would get Master Xehanort to expel me. Sephiroth fucking Riku is private information, as well. Might not even be true. But Riku's relationship with Rosso is common knowledge."

"Thaz insane," Sora garbled. "Riku's fifteen, they're teachers!" The thought of the way Demyx had talked to Neku at synthwave night returned to his head and made him feel sick.

"Sice started with Marluxia when she was his age," Vanitas cooed. "A lot of the teachers at this school are opportunistic shits. But they're fucking hot, so no one cares."

"Is Riku mad at Sice?" Sora mumbled. Vanitas grinned. "He's furious," he sneered. "And with the amount of laps he's been in, he can do whatever the fuck he likes. She's a goner."

Sora's world crumbled beneath his feet. When Sora asked who else was being targeted, Vanitas shrugged and responded, "anyone who gets in Riku or Xehanort's way," adding, "but this time he went too far."

"Why?" asked Sora.

"Because if Marluxia gets in trouble, he's going to kick Riku's ass."

"Marlutcha?" Sora's memory traveled to his gardening professor- the one he had caught Sice whispering with in the maze. He refused to believe that they had been doing anything more than talking. But Vanitas made everything sound so convincing.

"He's bound to get revenge for her," Vanitas sighed. "Fucking gets you a lot of places in this school."

Sora thought about it. If Marluxia got mad at Riku for being mean to Sice, then would Sora get in trouble for telling Riku about Sice in the first place? As his forehead creased, Vanitas' hand settled on his thigh. When Sora turned in confusion, Vanitas kissed his cheek. It surprised Sora so much that he yelped. Vanitas cackled as Sora scrambled off the metal packing box and nearly tumbled over his heels.

"Wha' wazzat for?" Sora blubbered.

"For kissing Nao," Vanitas responded. Sora blushed. A giggle rose in his throat.

"You make a cute girl, Sora," Vanitas winked. "You should wear crop tops more often."

"I rowed a lot," Sora slurred as he rubbed his eyes. Vanitas scooted closer and asked what Sora meant.

"I rowed an' swam an' raced with Riku an' Kairi all th' time, thaz why I got abs," he sighed. His giggle fell into a forlorn sigh. "But Riku's w' s'always buffer than me."

"Must be hard having friends who are always better," Vanitas mused. "Riku being a beast of darkness, Kairi being a princess of heart."

"Whazza princess of heart?" Sora asked. Vanitas grinned.

"Some magical lady shit. Only seven of them in the entire universe, and now four are going to this school."

"Whadda they do?" asked Sora.

"They have the heart of the worlds within them or something, some kind of almighty power. Master Xehanort told me about it."

"Huh," Sora mumbled.

"I'm BFF's with MX because of Ventus. That's the only good part about fucking him. If you ask me, I always preferred Roxas."

"You went out with Roxas?" Sora slurred. Vanitas shook his head. Then he turned to Sora and grinned. "I hear he used to be a lot like you. You should go back to your island before you turn out like him."

"I like Roxas!" Sora whined.

"Figures," responded Vanitas. When Sora sat back down, Vanitas kissed him again, this time on the lips. When Sora found himself kissing back, he broke away with a gasp of confusion. Before he could speak, Vanitas asked if Sora was having a thing with Argento. As his dark fingers traveled closer to the hem of Nao's skirt, Sora squirmed and said no.

"She helps me train," Sora whined.

"Sephiroth helped Riku train," responded Vanitas with a hiss. "I could help you train."

As Vanitas' fingers moved between Sora's legs and pressed against him, Sora began to sweat. His world became more and more strange. As his vision swam and his legs trembled he leaned into Vanitas' chest. He could barely speak. A pressure was building in his chest, as if his heart and lungs were being twisted around. When he opened his mouth Vanitas locked it with his own, shoving Sora against the wall and pressing harder between his legs.

"You ever ejaculated before, Sora?" Vanitas whispered into the crook of Sora's jaw. Sora had heard the word before, but he did not know what it meant. When he tried objecting to Vanitas' touch, the boy kissed him again, so hard that Sora's head hit against the metal wall behind him. Vanitas worked him down until Sora was lying on concrete ground beneath the upperclassman's grip. When Sora tried sitting up, Vanitas pinned him down with one hand. His other hand moved under the hem of Sora's briefs until they touched his skin.

"I'm n'like that," Sora tried, slurring so bad he could barely understand himself. When he felt an uncomfortable sensation pierce inside him he yelped for Vanitas to stop. The boy ignored him as his hand pushed further between Sora's legs.

"Grow up," he snarled into Sora's neck. "Or try, before we send you home." Sweat poured down Sora's brow as he struggled from Vanitas' grip. When he could not break free he began to cry. As Vanitas bent down to kiss him again, a loud screech pierced the air.

Vanitas rolled off of Sora at lightning speed and stood up, summoning his keyblade. But there was no one around. Then the screech pierced the air again, this time accompanied by words. It was a low, female voice. Livid. Wailing. Sora clutched his throat to see if it could be him. It was not. When he stood and followed Vanitas to the front of the building there was already a gathering of upperclassmen around the front door. At the center of the crowd stood two heads of silver hair, one tied in a high ponytail, the other left down. Weapons were drawn. A scythe. Sice.

"Fight me, you little shit!" She bellowed with arms outstretched. Riku stood on the entrance steps to the warehouse with his hands in his pockets. As Vanitas watched Sice scream, his eyes twinkled with delight. Sora climbed atop another metal shipment box to get a better look. Sice's chest heaved. Tears spilled from her eyes. Riku stood cold as stone.

"What are you going to do, you little faggot fuck?" she roared. "Are you going to let them expel me, after everything?" When Riku did not reply, she continued, "I made you what you are! I trained with you night and day on those islands! I told you not to tag along if I caught a wave!"

"I'm not tagging along," Riku snapped suddenly. Then his expression returned to placidity. "I'm carving my own path."

"You're carving a path out of my guts!" roared Sice in return. "You're using me! I put everything into this school- everything! And I will not have some little pipsqueak who cried like a baby when dad left mom ruin that for me!"

"Should have thought about that before you lied," Nimo chirped at Riku's side. Sice burst out laughing.

"Still being an opportunistic, vindictive little shit, Riku?" she called. "Remember the time you destroyed my science project because I told mom you ate that last cookie? You've graduated from ruining people's grades to fucking their lives!"

"Maybe you shouldn't have fucked your teacher and got caught," Riku responded coolly. Then he shrugged. "Not my fault you're an idiot."

Sice's mouth dropped open in shock. When Riku returned inside the warehouse with Nimo, Sice screamed for him to come back. She called that she knew he was fucking Nimo to get to Master Xehanort. When Riku heard it he turned and told her to fuck off.

"You're vile," he hissed. "Quit the lies. You're old news and you know it. You're not being expelled because you're stupid. You're being expelled because you're a talentless loser who had to fuck a professor to inherit a summon weapon. Thank Marluxia for giving you your scythe before you go back home." Then he was gone. When the rest of the junior and senior class attempted to file in behind him, Sice drew her scythe and slashed towards the person nearest. Immediately five weapons were drawn, including Vanitas' key blade. As Sice screeched and advanced, Vanitas shoved through the crowd and engaged her, parrying and launching several croisès until he enveloped Sice's blade straight from her grip. When she attempted picking it up, Vanitas shot a ball of darkness right at her chest, sending her flying across the warehouse lawn. As she flew she jumped in midair, landing on her feet before tripping as she ran forward. As she fell against the broken concrete ground, Vanitas and the few remaining upperclassmen cried with laughter. Then, they trudged inside one-by-one, until the only people on the lawn were Sora and Sice.

Sora watched as she groaned and hoisted herself to her feet. She dusted her skinned knees off and checked her bleeding ankle before limping back for her scythe. When she got hold of it, she closed her eyes and it disappeared in her hands. Then she felt in her pockets and swore.

"Where the fuck is it?" she muttered, rummaging through her skirt and jacket before glancing around the concrete ground. Soon she was on her hands and knees, padding into the dirt between the concrete's folds, cursing and hissing when she came up with barren soil. When she had had enough, she slammed her hand against the ground and sat down. Then she clapped her hands over her face and began to sob. As she cried Sora slipped from the top of the metal box and stepped towards her, teetering on his heels. When he nearly fell, Sice snapped to attention and drew her scythe again, pointing it towards Sora as she demanded to know whom he was.

"I'm just," Sora tried, but Sice's eyes widened in realization before he could finish.

"You're that friend. You told him, didn't you?" she hissed, gripping her scythe tighter. A flash went through her eyes, as if she considered slicing the blade right through his chest. Then, in exhaustion, she collapsed against the ground and told him to leave her alone. Her sobs returned. When Sora tried stepping forward, she screeched that she would kill him if he came any closer.

"I jus' wanna help you fin' your thing," Sora slurred. Sice blinked in shock. Then she scoffed that he was too wasted to help her.

"You smell like piss and smoke," she muttered. Sora glanced down at himself. There was a small wet spot on his spanx from where he inadequately shook after relieving himself against the warehouse wall. When he apologized Sice shrugged and turned back around. When Sora began moving she told him to get lost.

"I'm tryna fin' your stuff," Sora mumbled.

"You don't even know what it is," Sice responded. When Sora asked what it was Sice told him to shut up. Then she murmured that it was a silver locket. Sora nodded and searched around the gravel for a glint of grey. When he happened upon it he cried out in excitement and tried picking it up, tumbling to the ground when he lost his balance. Sice came to help him with a scowl. Then she examined the locket with a sigh. She opened and held it up for Sora to see. Inside was a picture of her mother and Riku as a child. Smiling.

"Cute, huh?" she muttered. Then she shoved the locket back in her pocket. "It's always the cute ones."

As she turned back to the barbed wire fence surrounding the warehouse, Sora gritted his teeth. He called out to her. When she turned back to look at him, he told her he was sorry. That he was the reason she was being expelled. When he began to cry her shoulders fell. She came and sat at his side.

"It's not your fault," she muttered. "You just wanted to be friends again."

"I wish i' wazzat easy," Sora hiccupped. Then he asked Sice if all the things people said about Riku were true. She responded that she did not know. It made Sora cry harder.

"I don' know him anymore," he wailed. "I don' know me." His fake lashes stuck to his knuckles as he bawled. Sice patted his back and shrugged.

"That happens to everyone here," she murmured. "It's an easy world to get lost in." Then she wiped the tears from her eyes and stood. The high Sora had been on twenty minutes ago was fading. The dregs of the shiny, neon glow that had encapsulated everything he saw and touched through that time glistened on Sice's cheeks and shoulders like specks of diamonds.

"I've changed," she murmured. "But I'm not lost." Then she smiled. "Just don't lose sight of your light."

Sora nodded and sniffed. Then he reached his hand out. Sice responded with her own palm and helped him stand up. Sora groaned and clamped his hands around his knees, forcing back the nausea clinging to his stomach. Once they were both on their feet, the warehouse doors opened and Nao's voice pierced the air.

"Sora!" she cried, charging towards him and throwing herself around him. She was whimpering. Sota barreled out behind her.

"Sora, we thought we had lost you!" she wailed. "We couldn't find you!"

"Where were you, Sora?" Sota demanded. Sora was too embarrassed and confused to answer. When Sice saw him struggling to speak, she said quickly that he was outside with her.

"I think he went out to piss. I came around the back of the warehouse and he tried to stop me from fucking everything up."

Nao nodded with trepidation and sighed when she saw Sora's soiled visage. "Your makeup is ruined," she murmured. Neku burst out the front door behind, cursing as he slid down the steps.

"What a crock of shit," he snarled. "Assholes in there are starting up truth or dare. Kuja dared me to suck Joshua's nipples."

"Let's get out of here," Sota muttered. When Sora turned to find Sice, he gasped. Everyone asked what was wrong. Sora pointed to the empty lot surrounding and said that she had disappeared. Everyone looked for her. But she had gone. Sota chuckled in wonder. "I've never actually seen anyone do that, before," he murmured.

"Will she be safe on her own?" asked Nao.

"She's got a giant scythe," returned Neku. "Unless she runs into Sephiroth, she'll be fine."

"Didn't Aerith leave with Sephiroth earlier on?" Nao interjected. Neku shrugged. The party stood in silence. Then Sota asked where Vanitas took Sora. Sora's throat constricted at the thought of it. His nausea was making him dizzy. When he said he did not want to talk about it, Sota and Nao shut up. Then they took Sora by the arms and turned for the bridge to the school.

* * *

 **I'm sorry guys T.T** **It may get a tad dark from here, but it lightens up towards the end of year one. This sad chapter brings up a lot of hard questions.**

 **With that said, I have a shameless author question: Should I put year two with year one, or actually make a "Hero Academy: Year Two" fan fiction separate? I want to make it easier for those of you who enjoy reading this the most. Please continue to follow/fav/review. I continue to take into account all requests and such.**


	37. Nimoy's Revenge

**Warning: language, angst**

* * *

The twelfth week of class arrived with a front of cool air and scattered storms that made exercising outside difficult. Recreation was a different story. Nao and Sota did everything with Sora they said they would. They hiked to the north summits where the pixie plums grew, ate ice cream in town, and swam between the mangrove nests and sunbathed near the old stone temple on sunny, humid days. In between, they helped Sora prepare for finals. Neku tagged along most of the time. The hikes and swims fed Sora the way playing on the island did back home. But they could not settle his mind completely. His morning runs with Argento had come to an abrupt halt. She would not tell him why. Roxas quit practicing combat with him. People whispered as they passed him in the halls. Hayner, Olette, Shiki, Zell, and the rest of the gang stopped talking to him. When he looked for them at lunch they disappeared. In class they kept to themselves. Kairi was so busy Sora hardly saw her at all. His probation officer meetings increased to three times a week. Marluxia dropped his gardening grade from an A to a C in a matter of days. But most strangely, Sora had nightmares nearly every night. He never remembered what was in them, but he usually woke up shaking and sweating. All the while, his exhaustion grew. Sora tried to remember what had started the nightmares in the first place. He thought it had something to do with Vanitas and the party at Avenida two weeks previous. But he could not remember much. When the Galactic Trade Federation Vessel returned to deliver Sota and Nao back to Shibuya, Sora and Neku came to see them off.

The quartet exchanged hugs and tears as Sota and Nao promised to write. When Neku asked how they would get letters to one another, Nao said they could send messages in bottles. The familiar red cargo ship that carried individuals to the larger vessel touched down on the edge of the summit facing the school. Present were Sora, Neku, Nao, Sota, Eraqus, Axel, Reno, Sice, her closest friends, and strangely, Wakka. When Sora asked why Wakka was there, the boy murmured that he was leaving as well. Sora's mouth dropped in shock.

"Why?" he asked. "You're doing fine! Aren't you going to wait to see if Selphie and Tidus get in next year?"

"This world is too big for me," Wakka murmured in reply. "I want to go home." Then he patted Sora on the shoulder, adding that he could come too if he liked. "You always struck me as more of a Destiny Islander at heart, Sora," he beamed. "Riku and Kairi are so… different."

Out of the corner of his eye, Sora noticed Sice listening. When he looked back at Wakka, he grinned. "No offense," he said, "But I've got to see this through to the end." Sice smiled. Wakka sighed. Then he gave Sora a bear hug and told him to stay true to himself. With that, he was gone. While Sota and Nao hugged Neku, Sora trudged to Sice's side and asked what she would do next.

"I don't know, she murmured. "But I'm not returning to Destiny Islands. I'll start somewhere interesting. Monster hunting in Agrabah sounds cool."

"I'd be scared if I was the monster," Sora replied. Sice chuckled and sighed.

"I've got my scythe. My teachers gave me their books. All I need to do is practice." Then she winked. "How many people can say they summon a weapon from thin air? It's rare, even at this school."

"That's true," Sora concluded. "You're already one of the best."

Sice grinned. Then she pulled Sora into a hug. As he stood frozen in shock, Sice patted him on the back and smelled his hair. Then she laughed.

"You still smell like Destiny Islands after all this time."

Relief washed over. Sice hugged Sora one more time and saluted him. Then she returned to her friends. Nao and Sota filtered over to exchange one more round of hugs. Sora broke down. He cried so hard that Nao and Sota started weeping as well. Even Neku wiped tears from his eyes. Eraqus stood by like stone as Reno and Axel exchanged grins. When Nao, Sota, and Sora broke away from each other, they beamed.

"I'm really glad I got to know you, Sora," Sota murmured.

"I really don't want you to leave," Sora responded through whimpers. Nao wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled her nose into the crook of his neck. When she broke away, she pecked him on the lips. Sora gasped in surprise and asked what it was for. Nao winked.

"Just a goodbye present," she murmured. "People kiss those they love. I love you, Sora. Sota does, too. Right, Sota?"

When Sota was within arm's distance of Sora, he pecked the boy on the cheek. Sora grinned and blushed with joy. Then he hugged both of them once more.

"Let's get a move on," Axel called from behind. He asked if Sora wanted to go with them. "This is your last chance," he added with a smirk. Sota and Nao smiled in hope. But Sora shook his head.

"Well," Sota murmured. "You'll always be welcome to Shibuya." With that the pair gathered their bags, gave a last round of hugs, and hurried for the red vessel. Sora half expected to see Gantu at the ship's helm. But a small brown alien was in charge. Once she helped Wakka, Sota, and Nao with their bags and the three waved their final goodbyes, the alien called over speaker for the remaining party to clear the runway. Sora watched in grief as the red vessel burst into the sky and disappeared on the horizon. When it was gone Reno clapped his hands and sighed.

"Well, that's a wrap!" he quipped. Axel chuckled and called for Sora to follow him down the mountain path. Eraqus took the lead in silence. When they returned to the school Sora followed Axel up the stairs to his attic office. As the boy sat before the familiar makeshift desk and stencil cutout, stained glass windows, he wrung his hands and kept his eyes on the floor. Axel stared him down. After five minutes passed, he asked how Sora was doing.

"Fine," Sora lied. Axel harrumphed. Then he slipped out Sora's expulsion sheet, a probation report, and a pencil.

"Marluxia Okayed your expulsion just as Larxene and Coco rescinded their signatures."

"Zexion didn't?" Sora asked. Axel shrugged. "He doesn't care one way or another, but Larxene and Coco want you till the semester's end. You scraped through this week by the skin of your teeth."

"Oh," Sora responded. His gaze traveled once again to the carpet. Axel narrowed his eyes. Then he coughed.

"Sora," he said. "Have you been seeking training assistance from faculty members of late?"

When Sora tried responding no, Axel told him he could be expelled for lying. The admission hit like a ton of bricks. Sora opened his mouth to retort, but nothing came out. Axel repeated his question. After deliberating, Sora responded that he used to run with Argento in the mornings.

"Has Roxas been training you?" asked Axel. Sora's shoulders fell as he responded with a nod. Axel pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows with an "hm."

"You got them in big trouble, you know that?" he intoned. "Both of them promised not to give you an unfair advantage over the other students after their assistance during your first week of school. They broke that promise."

"Roxas is a student, too!" snapped Sora. "And Argento always runs in the morning! We just happen to run the same way!"

Axel laughed and admitted that Sora was getting better at lying. When tears bubbled around the edges of the boy's eyes, Axel sat back. Soon Sora was sobbing again. Axel watched him with an expression of surprise for a few moments before offering the boy a tissue. Sora nodded and took five, nearly shooting snot onto Axel's hand when he blew his nose. When Sora recovered, Axel commented that he had changed. That he had grown sullen and pale. Then he asked if something had happened. When Sora looked up in terror Axel's glance narrowed.

"What do you mean?" Sora croaked.

"I hear rumors," Axel responded with a shrug. "You're not the only student on probation. If there is an issue pertinent to disorderly conduct off of school grounds, I have to bring it to the administration's attention, even if the issue is told in confidence."

Sora's hands twisted in his lap.

"C-confidence?" he whispered. Axel gave a cool nod. Sora racked his brains in an attempt to figure out what Axel was trying to say. His strongest suggestion was the night on Avenida. He bit his lip and shut his eyes in an effort to remember. Walking to synthwave with Nao, Sota, and Neku in drag. Slipping into the Avenida warehouse. Spanking people with a wet rag. Drinking something that was not water. Hiding beneath a table. Peeing. Watching Sice and Riku argue. Then, helping her find a locket with Riku's picture. But what happened between the table and argument? His memories were clouded by darkness. All that echoed through them were phrases, like "friends who are better," and "grow up." As he tried mentally retracing his steps, a shadow crossed his mind.

"How do people get summon weapons?" he aked. Axel's eyes twinkled.

"Why do you want to know?" he inquired. Sora shrugged, responding that he only wondered. Axel smirked.

"You can inherit one or unlock one from your heart- friends or experience. Short way, long way."

"Is inheriting weapons bad?" asked Sora. Axel shrugged. "It is if the inheritance ceremony is undocumented, if the person performing the ceremony is an unlicensed weapon holder, or if the person inheriting the weapon is too young."

Argento's words crept back into Sora's mind.

 _"Or someone else cast that spell for you... which means one of the twelve key blade wielders at this academy is going to be in very big trouble."_

 _"Thank Marluxia for giving you your scythe on your way back home."_

Sora blinked in terror as Riku's gaunt face slashed through his mind. Riku had said that to his own sister. As Sora put two and two together, he reeled in silence. Axel narrowed his eyes.

"Did you hear rumors about Sice's expulsion?" the redhead murmured. Sora shook his head. Axel remained unconvinced.

"Students at this academy are encouraged to grow on their own," he explained. "When they're helped along by others, we question their innate abilities."

"How did Nimo get a key blade?" Sora snapped. "How did Roxas and Ventus?"

Axel chuckled and sat back in his chair as Sora stood before him.

"Did Riku get Sice expelled?" demanded the boy. Axel warned for him to back up.

"That information is private," Axel intoned. "When it comes to our attention that students are being pushed along by someone else-"

"Everyone gets help some way or other," Sora snarled. "Do you just punish the people who get caught?"

The comment shocked them both. When Axel recovered, he chortled.

"You've grown feisty, Sora," he murmured. Then he shrugged. "But rules are rules. We can't punish people without proof. Do you have anyone in mind?"

"No," responded Sora. His glance fell to the floor, lifting at the last moment. Another stare down. When it finished, Axel sighed and scribbled on Sora's probation form. As he put it away, he reminded Sora that if he chose to quit the academy two weeks before the semester's end, he could audition again.

"If you confirm your exit now, we could let you train with some of the senior professors until the day of your departure," he chirped. "That way when you audition again you would have a better chance of getting in."

"But it wouldn't be a likely chance, right?" Sora asked. "Not with the way things have gone."

Axel pursed his lips. Then he murmured that it would not be likely at all, but that it was better than being barred forever. Sora's shoulders fell. He decided that he would stay as long as he could. Axel sighed and said it was his call. Then he dismissed Sora.

As he trudged down the steps to the second floor, Sora heard voices rise from inside and around the grand hall. He thought he heard someone say his name. People on the balcony over the school entrance were pointing and laughing at what appeared to be a giant poster tacked right outside the hall's entrance doors. When Sora traveled down the steps to get a closer look, his stomach flipped.

On the poster was a depiction of a Cliffside. At the cliff bottom sat a pile of people with exes for eyes. One had a tiara and eyepatch, another blond spikey hair, another silver hair, another Wakka's signature orange curl, another pink fluffy locks, and another robes of crimson. The last was a set of Siamese twins with orange skin and blond curls. At the top of the cliff perched a boy with brown spikey hair, bent over, cross-eyed, and smiling with an open mouth and lolling tongue. With one hand he waved to the people at the cliff bottom. With his other he pushed a second boy with blond spikey hair into the ravine. Standing directly behind the bent over boy and pressing himself against his upturned backside was a figure with black hair and yellow eyes. Waiting behind him was a pale boy with silver hair, a tan boy with white hair, two redheaded men, an orange haired boy with headphones, a young man with one wing, and a number of people in black cloaks. A word bubble above his head read, "who's up next?"

"That's that kid in year one who's getting everyone kicked out," someone whispered as they pointed the poster out to a companion. As Sora watched them he felt his knees grow weak. In terror he shoved past the people at the back of the crowd in an attempt to reach the boy's dorm hall. As people started recognizing him they gasped and laughed. Sora elbowed his way past until he made it to an exit stairwell. Then he hopped two at a time, bursting through the door leading to the boy's dorms with a cry. There was already a huddle of students draped around his dorm door. The hall seemed fuller than it had ever been. When they noticed Sora, they cheered and cackled. Sora swept past them as they tried to stop him. When he got to his room he froze.

Photos of himself on the pool table at Avenida, dressed as Rosso and spanking Joshua, were taped all the way around the border of the door, along with pictures of the fight between Sice and Riku. For a moment Sora stood in shock. Then he began ripping the pictures down one by one.

"No, no, no, no, no, no," he whined as he tore. When all of the pictures were piled in his arms he jiggled his key into his dorm door and burst through. Once he was inside he slid upon the floor and let the crumpled pictures fall to his side. The door slammed shut. When he looked up he noticed Joshua's bed empty. In vain he looked for signs of his roommate's existence: books, CDs, journals, his posters or backpack. But the boy's presence had been stripped. He was gone. And so was Noel.

Sora's face scrunched with a grimace. He tried plugging his fingers in his ears to drone out the sound of the people outside. But they just got louder. Suddenly something banged against his back. When Sora yelped and rolled away, the door opened and Neku rushed through. Once he was inside, he gasped.

"Fuck, Sora," he huffed. "Where's Joshua?"

"He's gone," Sora sobbed. As he reached out to Neku, the boy shoved him away and kicked his bedframe.

"Fuck, why do you have to attract so much attention?" he shouted with tears in his eyes. "I never asked for this!" After grabbing his backpack and muttering that he was going to the library he set his earphones firmly in his ears, turned up the volume on his MP3 player, and burst into the fray. For a moment the sound was deafening. But once Neku was gone it died down. Soon Sora was left completely alone. As silence fell, he scrunched his eyes and whimpered. He pictured what Tidus and Selphie were doing on Destiny Islands right now. Planning end of semester adventures, rowing to the islands, drinking soda on Wakka's dad's long liner.

"Maybe they're all right," he whispered to Jaws Junior. "Maybe it is time to go home." Jaws Junior gazed back at him with unmoving, black eyes. His blue fur looked sad and crumpled under the sun's setting rays.

As Sora cried he crawled to his chest of drawers and rummaged through the bottom shelf for his stack of photos. Inside were old pictures of he and Riku, of the trio when Kairi came to the island, of Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie, and of Nao and Sota. Sice had given him a picture of herself and Riku as a baby. There was even an old, star shaped thalassa charm Kairi had made before they left for Olympus Coliseum. Sora looked through everything with bitten lip until he could stand it no longer. He shoved the charm in his pocket, swept Jaws Jr. in his arms, and nuzzled his pellet filled fur into his nose. Everything smelled like Destiny Islands. As he thought of home and his parents and paopu ice cream, a pang sliced through him. It felt like his heart had broken.

Something pattered on the window across. The floor had grown dark. Rain. When Sora looked up it thrummed against the pane. Dark clouds surrounded the sky above it. It would be a long night.

* * *

 **Thanks for the reviews guys! Please continue fav/follow/reviewing. It means a lot.**


	38. A Light in the Darkness

**Warning: angst, conversations on identity**

* * *

Sora dedicated the rest of the week to the metal rings on the summit, and the library. Every morning he would get up early, run, pick a smoothie and dinner leftovers from the kitchen, wash, and read before class. New, repeating nightmares of strangers poking and prodding his unconscious body while a radio fizzled a strange, cackling conversation between two young boys who sounded suspiciously like Vanitas and Nimo plagued him. When Sora tried making out the contents of the radio talks, the cackling whispers grew softer and softer until they were barely audible. Behind them always rose a wail, inching closer until Sora woke up.

The fiasco at Avenida had become the student body's bread and butter. Riku rose to new heights of stardom within a fortnight. His confrontation with Sice was analyzed nonstop: in the halls, during class, in the library, in the cafeteria. Sora, on the other hand, became the butt of an eternal, hellish joke. Whistles and comments like, "spank me," and "it's Rosso!" followed him wherever he went. Not a moment passed in the dorm bathroom when he did not get toweled. Ironically, not a single one of the stream of surviving photos from the Avenida night included Nimo, Vanitas, Riku, or Sephiroth. Sora guessed they were too important to get in trouble. Meanwhile, gentle sleep escaped him. The wail in his nightmares transformed to a cross between an animal's, Sice's, and his own during the dragshow. Vanitas dominated the whispering and cackling. Sora felt sick when he wondered why.

Instead of eating lunch in the grand hall he hid in the school garden and looked after his petunia. He removed dead leaves and petals, spritzed healthy leaves, checked for mold and bacteria, tested the soil pH, and even talked to its bud. No one could deny it looked beautiful. He was doing the best he could in combat. When the faculty found out about Avenida, Rosso became furious. Sora guessed she would have killed him by now if she were not on probation as well. Her task became discovering increasingly crafty ways of upping his misery. Comments such as, "I like a girl who knows how to defend herself," and "look how cute she is, excuse me, he!" became constants whenever Sora managed to do something right. When he faltered, it was, "don't let the boys distract you, Sora!" and "where went your knight in shining armor?" Worst was the way his classmates laughed along. The way the glance of the male students changed. Sora found himself checking his reflection compulsively, as if he had been wearing Nao's makeup and tight leather skirt all this time without realizing it. Somehow, he bore through. After shooting the footlights out at the drag show, he found that he could summon a tiny fizzle of light from his wooden sword in homeroom face offs. The fizzle did nothing but set the sword on fire, so he graduated to a thin metal rod with an insulated handle. He could summon a shard of a barrier spell that popped his classmates back, but because he had no real magic to speak of, Sora worked from a defensive style. By now he could beat the students in his skill level, the skill level above him, and a few of the people in skill level D. But it was not enough. With finals approaching, the freshman faculty concentrated more and more upon honing students of interest. No one was interested enough in Sora's abilities to bother telling him where he was going wrong. Every probation officer meeting started with Axel begging Sora to quit. "Yes," was always on the tip of Sora's tongue. But somehow he managed to say no every time.

He spent most of his "down" time with the LGBTQ club or with Belle in the library. It seemed as though she and Coco were his only remaining allies. Before Sora fell asleep during lectures. Now, as LGBTQ entered its last unit, "Activism," Sora could not get enough. Coco would start the class with a documentary and finish with a discussion. Up today was the tail end of _La Cité is Burning_ , a documentary about drag balls in the Court of Miracles, a quarter of La Cité des Cloches. As the lights in the classroom dimmed and Sora watched dazzling men strut down the ball aisle with fierce looks of determination, Coco put forth guiding thoughts and answered questions.

"Look at how fearlessly they show themselves to the world," she murmured. "The Court of Miracles in La Cité des Cloches is an outsider society. People of all ethnicities, genders, and sexual orientations come there to belong."

"Are they discriminated against?" asked Sora. Coco nodded. "To the wider Cité community they are viewed as criminal. They are harassed and assaulted by residents and law officers and barred from jobs and events. Every year they participate in the Festival of Fools. There, the wider community can enjoy their spectacle without accepting their lifestyle."

"That's terrible," Bubblegum sighed. "My kingdom is so tolerant."

"It's important to recognize the struggle needed to reach tolerance," responded Coco. "This is why our activism unit is the most important of the semester."

"Have there been any marches here?" asked Marceline. Behind her, Joshua snorted.

"In the 'he-man capital' of the galaxy?" he muttered. "Fat chance." Bags shone under his eyes. His hands clamped over his chest. His expression dulled.

"How do you stay active in a place like this?" Vanille asked.

"It's not easy," responded Coco. "Like Joshua said, this school associates heroism with the ideal man. Anyone different is left or driven out. When I came here, they said no one would join a "fetish" club. But look at us now! Five members strong!"

Everyone looked at each other with dark glances. When Joshua caught Sora's eye, he whipped his gaze back to his hands. Vanille lingered on Sora in pity. As he stared past her at the documentary, a memory hit him. It was of the trip to Luca before the summer program that sealed Sora's admittance to the key blade Academy. The memory was of Wakka's dad and his friend teaching them how to hook and tie fishing rope while Riku and Wakka helped pilot the boat. Kairi had been such a natural. Sora could barely string a knot. Then came a vision of the satyr in Olympus Coliseum barring Sora from entering the arena with Riku and Sota.

 _"You are a hero before his trials. You are a Hector or Odysseus. And you are a smiling fool. Only heroes allowed beyond this point."_

Sora padded at his eyes. He was glad the lights were off. He was glad he was sitting alone at the back of the class. It was as if he was in an empty theatre. He could hear the hum of the projector behind him. The sound of Marceline and Bubblegum whispering to one another ahead.

 _"This isn't a playground. Get lost."_

 _"You make a nice woman."_

 _"Grow up. Or try, before we send you home."_

A flickering image of Vanitas' golden eyes beaming down on him below a sky shrouded by noise and green smog passed his line of sight.

 _"Maybe now you'll leave for good,"_ Vanitas winked. Sora wiped his eyes faster. He bit his lip to keep from sobbing.

 _"Whenever someone else deserves something, he wants it too."_

 _"The faculty likes the idea of fucking him."_

"Women don't go out of their way because they are women," a man in the documentary responded. "I went out my way because I wasn't and I wanted to be the best I can be."

"And I'm as free as the wind that is blowing out on this beach."

"O-P-U-L-E-N-C-E. Opulence. You own everything. Everything is yours."

"Everything is mine," whispered Sora to himself. He clutched his hands and gritted his teeth. Then he gave a firm nod. As the documentary finished and the credits rolled, Marceline went to turn on the lights. Suddenly Sora was blinded. He shielded his face and winced. When he grew reaccustomed to the brightness, he stood and stretched. Then, wiping his eyes with his hoodie sleeve, he sniffed and gathered his things. As he belted his books and returned his pencils to the old canvas purse Joshua gave him during their first week of school, the bells began to gong. Class was over. As everyone slipped bags over their backs, Coco said that they would start their discussion at the beginning of next class. After that they would commence their final project. Sora waited until everyone was gone. Then he shuffled to Coco's side and helped her turn off the projector.

"You're really building a home out of this club, Sora," she chirped as he helped, her glance lingering on his puffy eyes. "Seeing you engage makes me happy."

Sora shrugged, muttering that activism was interesting. Coco sighed and patted him on the back. "I know this is a new world for you," she said. "But I'm really glad you've stepped up to the plate. You're the only cis male here."

"Cis?" Sora asked. Coco blinked. Then she threw her hand over her mouth and gasped.

"I just assumed your sexuality! I'm so sorry, Sora. Are you…?"

When Sora remembered the definition of cisgender, relief flooded through him. But he stopped when he attempted to respond to Coco's question. An uncomfortable sensation of doubt settled in the pit of his stomach. Coco waited with pursed lips. Then she let it go and set her projector in its protective case. Sora shuffled his feet as he mulled through his thoughts. He cleared his throat. Coco glanced up at him with an encouraging grin. When she saw his expression, her smile faded.

"Can a guy still be straight if he… if he dressed up like a girl?" asked Sora.

"Of course," returned Coco. "Sexuality and clothing are unrelated."

Sora nodded. Then he bit his lip.

"Can a guy be straight if he… if he makes a really convincing girl?"

Coco remained silent. So Sora continued.

"I mean… am I still a guy if..." Sora bit his lip and sucked in a deep breath. "You know that documentary on violence on the trans community?" he asked. Coco nodded.

"When that guy said he was abused it was fine, right? I mean, "fine" is the wrong word, it wasn't fine at all… but it was true, because he was dressed as a girl. And the gay guy, too, that was true because he was gay. But… is it possible for a guy to abuse another guy? Or do only gay or trans guys get abused?"

"Anyone can abuse anyone, Sora," Coco murmured. Sora nodded but furrowed his brows.

"So is a guy normal anymore if he gets abused when he's dressed as a girl, by a guy who says he's straight? Does that make him a girl? Does it count anymore?"

"Normal is subjective, Sora," murmured Coco with furrowed brows. "And females are not the only victims of abuse. It sounds like you're implying that gay men are not men, even though you know sexuality and gender are separate."

"No, no!" gasped Sora. "I mean, yes, I- I know that, but just… I don't care who is what, I don't! B-but, I just think, I think that if it were me, I'd rather… I'd rather be like… like everyone else."

In embarrassment Sora clapped his hands over his face and tried taking deep breaths. Coco stared at him. Then she reached out her hand. Sora peeked between his fingers and slid one of his palms towards her own. Coco gave it a firm squeeze.

"Abuse has nothing to do with how you identify, dress, or whom you love," she said. "It is about consent. If a person does not want to be touched a certain way, they have the right to protect their bodies, because bodies are special. And it is the toucher's responsibility to respect that privacy and refrain from touching them."

"But…" Sora continued, "but when do you lose the right to…"

"Your body is yours, Sora. You have the right to protect it no matter what."

"But are there guys who own more?"

"No one owns their body but themselves."

"But-"

"Sora," Coco interrupted in a calm, intense voice. When Sora stared at her he saw her eyes brimmed with determined tears. She smiled. Then she took both of Sora's hands and set her jaw.

"I am what I am, I am my own special creation," she whispered. "Can you say it, too?"

"I am what I am, I am my own special creation," Sora mumbled.

"And I am as free as the wind that is blowing out on this beach," Coco added.

"And I'm as free as the wind that's blowing out on this beach," Sora responded. Coco squeezed his hand harder. Then, she smoothed it in her own, running her fingers over Sora's palm in deliberation.

"Sora," she started. "I'm not discounting your struggle. I've seen how you've been treated. I've heard… things. I wonder… Sora… if you regret joining LGBTQ?"

"No!" Sora shot back with a firm glance. Coco beamed and padded at her eyes.

"Being different is hard," she continued. "Vanille has endured more than three years of it. Johsua moved into a dorm with a private bathroom because of it. I've… I've endured it, too," she added with a spirited nod. Sora blinked in shock.

"How do you keep going," he pleaded. "If every time things get better, they grow worse?"

"You fight harder!" Coco hissed, putting her little fist up like a flaming torch. "Do you want to know what made me change my mind about you?"

Sora felt himself begin to smile. Coco reached up and set her hands on either side of his face.

"You have a rare gift for compassion," she whispered. "I saw its power first hand at the drag show. A true hero- and this is something you won't learn in a fist fight- a true hero cares about everyone, equally- even if caring makes their life harder."

Sora thought about why he wanted to become a hero in the first place. Then he furrowed his brows and asked if Coco thought he was queer, too. Coco snorted and slapped his hand. Sora cried out in indignation.

"Remember, remember, remember!" She intoned, waggling her forefinger in Sora's face. "You can't tell someone's sexuality by looking at them! No one knows what you are but you! And if you can't tell, go kiss a boy and see how you feel- but only a nice boy, Sora. A very nice boy who cares about you very much. Besides, what does it matter who you love, in the end? As long as they love you back!"

"I suppose," blushed Sora. Suddenly Coco gasped and clutched his sleeve.

"But don't go kissing boys because I told you to, Sora!" she snapped. "You are your own special creation! Don't let nasty men take that from you! I mean, not that all men are nasty, but, and it's your decision, but stay true to yourself, and, and… oh dear," she sighed, clutching her heart. Sora rubbed her shoulder to calm her down. When she glanced up at him, he smiled. Coco squeezed his hand one more time.

"Sora," she murmured with hesitance. "Please forgive me for asking, but… your questions… did someone… did someone sexually assault you?"

Sora reeled back and snorted. A nervous grin broke out across his face. "No, I just- curious, all of a sudden, I," he stuttered, suddenly unable to form a sentence. Sora furrowed his brows in confusion and made to wipe his bangs from his eyes. He realized that his cheeks were stained with tears. He was crying again.

"We don't have to talk about this right now, Sora," Coco reassured. "It's your choice."

"No!" Sora gasped quickly. "I need. I," he started. When he saw Coco's expression he grimaced and hid his face in humiliation. "I don't remember," he murmured. "But things keep adding up…"

When Coco asked who it might have been, Sora bit his lip. Everything pointed in one direction. But how could he make assumptions?

"I've been having these dreams…" he whispered. Coco tugged at his palm. Sora took a deep breath and exhaled. As he opened his mouth to say whom, the door to the classroom slammed open and made him yelp. Ventus popped in his head. When he saw Sora, his expression drew cold.

"We have this classroom rented out," he said.

"Five more minutes," chirped Coco, holding up her forefinger.

"The space is rented, Coco," Ventus interrupted. With that he opened the door and brushed in, hitting Sora in the shoulder as he walked past. As the blond slammed his backpack on a desk, Sora sniffed and told Coco he would see her next class. Coco nodded in shock. As they walked out together, she added that if Sora ever wanted to talk to her about anything, she would be there. After they said goodbye and Coco headed for the teacher's hall, Sora wandered for his dorm. Midway, he swiveled back to the exit stairwell passing the library and clobbered down. Anger tugged at his chest. At everything. Rosso. His memory. Ventus' treatment of Coco. Vanitas. Riku. The way his face was bathed in must and moisture the minute he passed under the library entrance archway. He was inside again, squelching down the ancient carpet towards the front desk.

Tuesdays were usually Aerith's shifts. But the library was devoid of human presence altogether. Sora sauntered forward and hoisted himself over the desk ledge, peeking under the desktop and around the floor. All he saw was a trashcan, wires, outlets, and a paper shredder. Giving up, he plopped onto one of the plush cushions in the seating area and waited. Every so often he peeked from the desk to the door. Then, pursing his lips, he heaved himself up and wandered to the large line of computers on the far end of the room. When he got in front of one he wiped his forehead and took a deep breath. The only previous experience Sora had with computers was the day Wakka helped him Skype audition for the Olympus Coliseum summer camp. Now, with what seemed like an infinite number of button choices, Sora bit his lip and tried figuring things out for himself.

After deciphering every tab, button, and clicking device, Sora scrolled through the main menu until he hit the online library search database. There was a pamphlet chained to the computer's side with directions on how to use it. Sora read through it five times. Then he searched for books. At first he looked up combat titles like _The Importance of Where, His True Art of Defense_ , and _The Royal Armories_ series. Then he moved onto memoirs, like _Battle with the Bengal Tiger_. After that he sidled into other topics until he found himself looking up sexual harassment, voguing, and drag balls. There were two books on drag balls- one checked out. The only book on sexual assault was a skimpy survivor manual called _Braving the Wave_. In exasperation, Sora wrenched himself up and thundered towards the tiny cubby labeled "LGBTQ Affairs." When he got to it, he stopped. A hiccupping noise and shushes wafted from inside its adjoining shelf. Sora bit his lip and set his mind on voguing to tune the tears out. But he had never been good at minding his own business. Checking his whale breath and tiptoing as quietly as he could, he slipped over to the bookshelf and peered through the spaces between the shelves.

Three people stood inside the cubby. Two black haired girls, one with long raven locks and another with a short bob, surrounded a third girl who leaned in the corner with her back turned to them. Her hair was thick, auburn, and twisted into a braid that curled down her tailbone.

"This is getting out of hand," her longhaired friend whispered.

"Upperclassmen shits," snarled the one with the bob.

"No one else can know," sobbed the auburn girl between them. When she moved, Sora noticed she wore a ribbon in her hair. He had to stop himself from gasping.

"They'll just kick me out," whispered Aerith.

"No one would kick you out," returned her shorthaired friend. Sora peeked close enough to notice Yuffie's signature headband. "You've done nothing wrong!"

"I went with him," Aerith responded. "I shouldn't have gone."

"No," responded the longhaired girl. "This is his fault. If we could just get hold of the others we could put together a committee to get him fired."

"No!" gasped Aerith. "If you're really my friends you won't tell a soul."

"Is someone there?"

That last voice was Yuffie. When Sora heard her, his blood ran cold. Had his asthmatic whale breath returned? Someone shuffled behind the bookshelf. Sora hunched and backed away as quietly as he could. He dived behind the next aisle just as Tifa Lockhart dashed out to meet him. For a moment she glanced around, still as a rod. When she saw no one, she relaxed and returned to Yuffie and Aerith. Sora trained his ear from where he crouched.

"No one that I can see," she whispered.

"Are you sure?" gasped Aerith.

"No one ever comes to this section," encouraged Yuffie. "Not even the kids in the LGBTQ club."

Sora bit his lip and crawled back to the combat section. Once he picked up everything he needed, he brought his selections to the front desk and waited. Eventually Belle hurried over, throwing her knapsack on the desk top and turning the computer on as fast as she could. When Sora asked where Aerith had gone, Belle blustered that she was sick.

"Sick?" Sora snapped. Belle nodded.

"Aqua contacted me ten minutes ago to pick up Aerith's shift," she huffed. "Apparently Yuffie called and said Aerith had to leave the library because she had a panic attack."

"Oh," responded Sora with a gulp. He returned to the LGBTQ cubby as Belle waited for the computer to wake up. Fat water stains spread across the carpet within. Sora shook them from his mind as he picked up a photo collection of Neverland drag balls from the eighties. Belle had already begun checking his combat books out when he sidled back to her. He nodded when she asked if he needed a loan basket. When her hand brushed over the photo collection, her eyes twinkled.

"Wow!" she gasped as she checked it out. "Gosh, look at them!" when she handed Sora his basket, she beamed. "I didn't know you liked stuff like this!"

"I'm in LGBTQ," Sora shot back.

"Oh, I know!" Belle responded. Then she clapped her hand to her forehead. "I forgot to tell you how much I loved your drag performance!"

Sora's throat constricted and his lips pursed. When he finally managed to thank her, she giggled and centered her eyes on his library account on the computer. "I don't normally go out to big group events," she sighed, shivering at the thought of it. Then she smiled. "But I'm glad I saw you. Are you holding up well?" Sora's shoulders sagged. He shrugged and responded, "as best as I can." Belle nodded. Then she leaned closer and told Sora she did not believe a single one of the rumors. Sora winced and said that that was good.

"I'll always be here in the library," she entreated. "I was an outsider in my village. I know what it's like to have people talk behind your back."

"Thanks Belle," responded Sora. "It's just too bad you can't train me."

"Aren't you friends with Hayner's gang?" she asked. Sora shrugged and said none of them were talking to him anymore.

"I think they're afraid I'll get them expelled," he muttered. Belle's eyes softened. When she asked if any teachers were helping him, Sora shook his head. Belle bit her lip. Then she grinned and whispered, "I'll rustle something up. Just leave it to me."

Sora smiled and said goodbye, hoisting his book basket under his arm and hauling it out the front door into the school's entrance hall. On his way to the hall separating the dorms, he spotted Yuffie. She jumped when he screeched her name. When she noticed the stack of library books under his arm, her eyes widened with terror. Before she could ask any questions, Sora ran up and hugged her very hard. When he broke away, Yuffie blinked in shock. Sora smiled, attempting with every fiber of his being to communicate everything he felt without saying it.

"Can you tell Aerith I've been wondering about her?" he croaked. Yuffie nodded in silence. Sora thanked her and hurried up the exit stairwell past the boys' dorms and lumbered down the hall. After he dropped his books off and fished out his metal rod, he hoisted his notebook and _His True Art of Defense_ under his arm and meandered back to the forecourt cupping his hand over his eyes. When he was sure the summit was empty, he started down the mountain path. Just as the white stone of the bridge connecting the peaks appeared beneath Sora's soles, the plod of running feet clattered up behind him. A voice called his name. Sora groaned and put his head down, moving faster. The voice rose. Sora passed from white stone to grass and picked up to a jog when a strong hand clapped his shoulder and swiveled him around. Sora gasped. When he looked up, he met two wild blue eyes framed in dark brown hair.

He was standing face to face with Leon, Yuffie and Aerith's friend from the junior class.

"Sora," Leon said intensely. Sora was too shocked to respond. There was a strange fire in the upperclassman's eyes. As Sora adjusted to his presence, he realized that Leon was panting heavily, as if he had chased Sora all the way from his dorm. Strapped to his back was a gun blade.

"You need someone to train you for finals, right?" he gasped. Sora nodded. Leon grabbed him under his arm and hauled him towards the summit. "I'll train you," he muttered. Sora nearly tumbled over his feet.

"What?" he gasped. Leon nodded. When the pair got to the summit Sora's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Cloud Strife was fighting a boy in blue pants and a steel breastplate on the peak's north side. The boy's long black hair spilled from beneath his Spartan helmet. Hercules fought Vanilla on the south. When they saw Sora coming, they smiled and waved. Sora could only stare.

"Sora, meet Cloud Strife, Zack Fair, Hercules, and Oerba Dia Vanille."

"I know Sora!" chirped Vanille. Hercules swept Sora up in a bear hug as Zack Fair took off his helmet to say hello. Cloud cocked his head in greeting.

"What are you all doing up here?" Sora whispered. Zack Fair grinned and pointed to Cloud.

"I'm training this bozo," he said.

"We're training together," Cloud corrected. A smirk played across his lips. "But with my performance in that last bout I'd say I'm pretty close to trouncing you."

Zack laughed. Then he said he had to hone his skills if he wanted to take on Terra and Aqua before they graduated. Cloud rolled his eyes.

"You guys want to help Sora train for finals?" Leon asked. Hercules and Vanille shouted, "yes!" at once. Zack Fair shrugged and said, "why not," to Cloud's disapproval. After heckling, Cloud muttered that he would help as well. A cry came from further down the mountain. Yuffie was running towards everyone.

"I'll help!" she called.

"Where is Aerith?" asked Leon.

"Tifa is staying with her," Yuffie said. Then she turned to Sora and grinned. "You're going to be a regular badass by the time we're done with you."

"There's nothing I can't handle after Rosso," Sora sighed. Immediately Zack Fair, Yuffie, and Leon let out cackles of laughter.

"Oh, you young, innocent boy," Yuffie sighed. Leon slapped her in the back of the head and told her she was being trained as well. Yuffie gasped in shock.

"You're a freshman, too, wiseguy," Cloud drawled. Hercules boomed laughter. Sora sniffed to keep from breaking into sobs of joy. Then he gasped.

"And after we're finished we can get ice cream and practicing voguing!" he beamed.

"What-ing?" asked Zack.

"Nothing," blurted Sora with a shrug. "Let's just get going. I brought a useful book."

When he held up _His True Art of Defense_ , Zack grabbed it from his hands and chucked it over his shoulder. Sora protested. Behind him, Leon unhooked his gunblade from its holter and enchanted it so that it grew three times its normal size. Yuffie did the same with her shurikens, and Cloud with his broadsword.

"The greatest teacher is practice," Leon cooed. Then he, Hercules, Yuffie, and Cloud pounced on Sora at the same time, with Zack and Vanille laughing behind.

* * *

 **Things are looking up a tad. For those of you frustrated by the snail pace of Sora's sexual awakening... yeah. At this point, Roxas, Nimo, and Riku are all fifteen while Sora is only fourteen. There are several other obvious cock blocks, including naivety, being a pariah, and taboos Sora grew up with in Destiny Islands. He's working things through. But if you're willing to stay along for the ride, you won't be disappointed. PLEASE continue reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following- ESPECIALLY reviewing. Hearing what you have to say, even if it is only one or two words, is incredible. It is such a useful tool for me, as an author. I want it, and I appreciate it! Until next time...**


	39. Easy Information

"Minerva, Sora, you were given a weapon to attack and BLOCK!" Leon boomed.

"I'm trying!" gasped Sora. Leon rushed him again. When Sora blindly swung his rod for the man's head, Leon ducked and slapped him in the back.

"Zero to sixty five," Yuffie called from a tree stump nearby. She used a sharp rock to keep score on its side. Sora could hear the grind of Zack Fair and Cloud's weapons across the line of rubber and palms behind. It had been a week since Leon first promised to prepare Sora for finals. He, Zack, Cloud, and Yuffie had given up the summit in favor of Hercules's favorite training grounds: a clearing at the base of the mountain, directly facing the waterfall that extended from the summit's Cliffside. Right now Hercules was jogging around the mountain path. Vanille had some sort of student officer meeting. Until then, Sora was stuck with Leon. Behind them rose a cry and the sound of a falling tree. Leon glanced towards the clearing Zack and Cloud practiced within. Silence. Then the clash of blades continued. Leon redirected his attention to Sora and gripped his blade handle tightly.

"If you want to beat the kids in the skill level above you, you have to be twice as good," Leon snapped. Then he dived for Sora again. Sora dodge rolled to get out of his way. When he dodge rolled again Leon told him to stop running.

"B-L-O-C-K!" he roared. Sora nodded and attempted blocking Leon's next attack with his pitiful barrier magic. Now he could summon three hexagonal shards instead of one. Still, the fire from Leon's sword was so ferocious it singed the hair on Sora's arms. When his shards broke, he rolled away. As he turned to see where Leon had gone, he was knocked onto his back. When he tried standing, Leon pointed the end of his gunblade towards Sora's throat.

"Sora," he said with gritted teeth. "We've been practicing for a week. What's not clicking?"

"I don't know!" wailed Sora.

"You're just fighting out of fear," said Leon. "You're fast but you're stupid."

"And tired," snapped Sora in return. Leon gritted his teeth. Then he called Cloud. When the blond boy's head peeked through the trees at the back of the clearing, Leon told him to train Sora.

"Let me practice with Zack," he said. Cloud scowled and muttered something into the clearing behind. Then he slipped through the break in the rubbers and strode to Sora's side.

"What should I do with him?" he asked. Leon sighed.

"I need a break," he muttered. "You work with him."

"I'll take him on, after," called Hercules. He was striding down the jungle path towards them with two girls behind. One had long black hair and soft red eyes. The other had green eyes and auburn hair tied in a messy bun. Sora gasped.

"Aerith?" Leon murmured. She looked as though she had not slept for weeks. She was pale, gaunt, and her hair was greasy. Her ribbon was gone. Tifa held her hand. When she saw Cloud she waved to him. Cloud blushed and turned away. Yuffie ran to Aerith's side. They exchanged whispers. Aerith shook her head with vigor. Yuffie pursed her lips and ran to Leon.

"She's nervous about having Zack around because she doesn't know him that well," she whispered. When Cloud asked what was wrong, Leon called "nothing." Then he murmured that he would take Zack somewhere else. Before Zack could pop his head through the brush, Leon went to meet him. They exchanged words. Then they were gone. Aerith's shoulders relaxed. She asked if she could watch Sora practice. Sora nodded. Cloud shrugged and kept his head down. The pair divided to opposite ends of the clearning. Cloud told Sora to defend himself. Then he asked Sora the most important thing to remember when fighting an opponent. When Sora said, "watching your back," Cloud threw a pebble at his nose.

"Awareness versus attention!" he intoned. "Detail versus the whole. You concentrate on the tip of my weapon. You pay attention for openings, weak spots, and lulls after I finish attacks and recharge. At the same time you are aware of what I am doing, where I am going next, how I am using the battlefield, and how you can use the battlefield against me."

Then he charged at Sora. The boy yelped and blocked him with a barrier spell. When Cloud hit him with another attack, the barrier spell shattered and Sora was knocked off his feet.

"Stupid!" Cloud shouted. "Never waste magic on the first hit. Do I fight up close or far away?"

"Far and close?" Sora tried. Another rock to the nose.

"I fight close, Sora," Cloud snapped. "So unless you want to exhaust yourself running circles around me, I suggest you stay tight and conserve your energy."

"Dodge in the opposite direction of the weapon swing," called Tifa. "If Cloud is thrusting his sword towards you, dodge forward and under. Then you can hit him from behind. If he's doing a downward swing left, dodge up right."

Sora nodded and gritted his teeth. He should have known this stuff. When Cloud thrust towards him again, he dodged under the sword and hit the back of Cloud's knees. Cloud buckled forward but blocked Sora's rod when Sora tried poking him in the ribs. Then he croisèd Sora's weapon through the air.

"Zero to sixty six," Yuffie sighed, marking the tree stump again. Sora picked up his weapon and rereadied himself.

"Your weapon is bullshit compared to mine," Cloud called. "Mine is heavy, yours is light. Never engage a broadsword with a staff."

"Use the staff to direct the swing of his blade!" Aerith called suddenly. Cloud glanced towards her in surprise as she stood and trudged towards them. From behind her back she revealed a long metal rod. Then she asked if she could demonstrate. Sora stood by and watched as she prepared. Cloud slipped into ready position in front of her.

"Try hitting me," Aerith said. Cloud nodded and thrust his sword. Aerith dodged to his side and wacked him in the calves. When he swiveled around to block her attack, she slammed her staff against the outside of his attacking arm so that he twirled further than he had anticipated. Cloud stumbled. When he did, Aerith used the butt end of her staff to pop him under the sternum, taking the wind out of him. When Aerith asked if she could touch his stomach, Cloud nodded.

"Get him right under the xiphoid process at the sternum bottom," Aerith said, digging her finger into Cloud's abdomen. Cloud blushed and coughed. When he righted himself, Aerith thanked him and returned to the tree stump. Sora bounced on the balls of his feet in excitement, ready to attack again. When he tried doing the same thing Aerith did, Cloud anticipated and used the dull edge of his sword to knock Sora off his feet.

"Zero to sixty seven!" Yuffie called.

"You've got to pay attention!" said Tifa. "Don't just copy her!"

Sora nodded and took a deep breath, meaning he was unprepared when Cloud thrust at him again. He tripped on his yellow sneakers and fell to the ground.

"Zero to sixty eight!"

"Awareness versus attention!" boomed Hercules. Sora gritted his teeth and charged. Cloud knocked him over again.

"Zero to sixty nine!"

"Come on, Sora," Aerith called.

This time Sora sucked in a deep breath and watched. Cloud reeled back and lunged forward. Sora dodged behind him and got in a few hits with his rod. When Cloud reeled back and lunged again, Sora was ready with another dodge roll behind and a whack to the calves. In anger Cloud swung his sword back and forth. Sora dodged away from the swing and got Cloud in the back. Cloud swung his blade over his head. Before he could bring it down, Sora whacked him below the sternum and smacked the line of his sword awry. While Cloud was in a daze, Sora hit him in the chest a few more times. Suddenly Cloud leapt in the air and swept his sword high. When he came down he drove it into the ground, sending a shockwave from its tip. Before the wave could reach Sora, he jumped. When Cloud drove towards him and swung his sword again, Sora dodged behind and landed several more blows to his back. Cloud stumbled. Before Sora could send him completely on one knee, Cloud blocked. Sora used the momentum of Cloud trying to croisè his rod from his hand to spin to the other side of the clearing. Yuffie and Aerith cheered together.

"Attention versus awareness!" called Tifa. "He's a close up attacker, he takes about three seconds to rev up before he makes an attack, pay attention to your windows!"

Sora nodded and tried to land another hit. Cloud eluded him with a hanging parry. When Cloud shoved him back, Sora did a flip through the air and landed on his feet. Yuffie and Herc went wild. Aerith jumped to her feet with a smile. Her cheeks had grown pink.

"The weapon is an extension of you!" she screamed. "Use the strength of your momentum, never invent it. Sting, don't push! Use him!"

Cloud snarled as he sent another thrusting attack Sora's way. Sora dodged and used the scarf Cloud wore around his neck to lurch him backwards.

"Hey, weapons only!" warned Tifa. Sora bit his lip and jumped out of the way before Cloud could get a hit. When Cloud thrust again, Sora jumped on the dull edge of his sword and over his head, whacking him in the back and knees again.

"Let him have it!" Aerith roared with her fists clenched, scaring Yuffie off her tree stump and onto the forest floor.

Sora wiped the sweat from his eyes and went into uber focus mode. When Hercules suggested using his transversus to breathe and be aware of his animal spine, Sora nodded and hunkered down. Sparks pinged off of Cloud's shoulders. When he told everyone to shut up they booed him. Sora took the distraction to go at him again, scowling when Cloud anticipated his attack and drove him back. Sora barely dodged Cloud's next slash before he wiped his eyes and decided what he would do next. Cloud was faster. He was not playing anymore. Before Sora could blink he was right at his side. On instinct Sora dodged left as Cloud thrust past. Sora held out his foot and tripped Cloud up. But instead of stumbling Cloud dodge rolled and swung his blade right between Sora's legs. With a yelp Sora set his rod like a snowboard between himself and Cloud's sword. When Cloud's sword swept up, Sora jumped off of it and flipped, curling away as Cloud met him midair. Sora used Cloud's momentum to swing around and hit him in the side. Cloud snarled and tried grabbing Sora's rod. Sora yelped and used his shoulder as a jumping off point. When the pair were on opposite ends of the clearing again, Sora set his rod lightly in both hands and ran forward, sliding under Cloud's slash and using it to trip Cloud to the ground. The minute Cloud stumpled to all fours Sora raised his rod. But before he could tap it to Cloud's neck, Cloud grabbed him by the leg and pulled him down beside him.

With a yelp Sora tumbled to the ground. Within an instant Cloud was over him, pointing his broadsword into the hollow of the boy's neck as he kneeled between his splayed legs.

"Zero to seventy!" Yuffie sang. Cloud scowled and threw his broadsword at her, making her yelp when it drove into the tree above and behind her head. Yuffie looked from the suspended sword to Cloud and frowned.

"Well, that wasn't very nice!"

"How am I supposed to fight with you animals howling in the background?" he snapped.

"Be honest, Cloud, you underestimated Sora the whole way through that round," Tifa drawled. Cloud snorted and said he would be sure never to do that again. Then he tore his broadsword from the tree and set it over his back.

"I'll be a monster in finals," he snarled.

"Big whoop," called Yuffie.

"I'd be scared if I were you, 'ninja,'" Cloud warned. "Just hope you don't have to fight me."

"I'd cream you!" Yuffie roared. When Cloud challenged her she stood and got her shurikens out. Tifa laughed. Sora used his battered metal rod to hoist himself up. When he limped to the rest of the party's side he asked if he had gotten better. Everyone nodded.

"Your performance in that last fight was monumental, Sora," Aerith grinned. "Really. It was stunning." Everyone agreed.

"One week with you guys, three months with Rosso, ten years with Riku," Sora chuckled. His smile faded. As his head bent Aerith watched him close. Hercules clapped his hands.

"Before we get too sentimental," he announced. "And since we've got five strapping freshman in our midst, why not train?"

Tifa, Cloud, Sora, Aerith, and Yuffie glanced towards one another.

"Let's all take Cloud together!" chirped Tifa with a wink. Cloud harrumphed and trudged off on his own, tracing the tip of his sword into the dirt.

"I think a good strategy might be to review the weaknesses and strengths of your classmates and fight each other from now on," Hercules continued. "Whoever you're forced to fight, you've got to be ready." He pulled a small notebook and pen from the pocket of his toga and sat on the tree stump to scribble.

"So it is one on one?" asked Tifa. When Hercules nodded Yuffie snorted, "figures."

"Argento did say there was no way to hide in finals," murmured Aerith.

"Who's in class A?" asked Hercules. "Cloud, Ventus, scary moon twins, Master Xehanort's grandkid, Joshua, vampire -"

"Marceline," corrected Sora. Hercules gave an apologetic shrug and continued.

"Class B: Riku, Roxas, Valhalla, Kid with the S on his shirt, ocean boy, key blade girl, star girl… those are the only ones I know besides you guys."

"What was the structure of your freshman finals, Herc?" asked Yuffie. Hercules chuckled.

"They were long. Much longer than midterms. They had us fight three people one on one. Took two days to get through everyone. And they didn't separate by skill level," Hercules added. "You had Class A kids fighting Class F. It all depended on how opposite their fighting styles were."

"Shit," gasped Yuffie.

"What about Class P?" Sora asked. Hercules nodded and said Class P fought, too, adding, though, that known princesses of heart were exempt.

"Exempt?" snapped Sora. "You mean Kairi, Belle, and Aurora won't fight?"

"They passed their final during midterms," Cloud cut in.

For a moment everyone remained silent. Then, voices ascended through the brush. Aerith jumped and murmured that she had to work in the library. She was gone before Zack and Leon returned. All the pair of them saw was the back of Aerith and Tifa's heads as they walked away. When Zack caught a glimpse he perked up immediately. Leon examined the sun's position above the canopy. After weighing their choices, Yuffie decided they should strategize over dinner. Then everyone called it a day. As Hercules, Yuffie, Leon, Cloud, and Zack packed up their things, Sora watched. Leon came up and thwacked him on the head.

"Let's get going, kid," he said. Then he turned and walked with Zack and Cloud. Yuffie lagged behind with Sora. Ahead, Zack asked who the two girls had been. Leon and Yuffie exchanged looks.

"Aerith and Tifa," Cloud murmured. "First year."

"You know them?" Zack asked. Cloud murmured that he knew Tifa, but that Aerith was pretty new to him.

"New to me, too," replied Zack. "She's the one going out with Sephiroth right?"

"Stop talking," Leon warned. Zack reeled back.

"What?" he snapped. "Did he dump her?"

"Shut up," Leon hissed. He pushed ahead on his own. Zack snorted and asked Cloud what was wrong with him. Cloud shrugged. Zack pursed his lips. Then he grinned and murmured, "They sure are beautiful."

"Leon?" Cloud snickered. Zack scowled and said, "those girls!"

Cloud bent his head. Suddenly Sora found himself thinking of Nao. It made him sad. Out of the blue Zack asked if he had his eye on any one at the school. Sora shook his head.

"I spotted you at the upperclassman party on Avenida," Zack continued. "You were a hit. But you left early. What happened?"

"He got bored with your company," Hercules chuckled. Zack gave a sarcastic laugh in reply. Then he said that he was returning to school.

"Are you guys going to dinner with those girls?" he asked.

"Freshmen only," responded Yuffie. Zack scowled and stalked off, giving a quick goodbye as he disappeared through the brush. Hercules parted with him. Leon and Yuffie left together. Soon Cloud and Sora stood alone. Cloud stared at him when he cleared his throat. Sora sweated like a pig. When Cloud turned, Sora followed him. For a good ten minutes, they trekked in silence. Then Sora coughed and mumbled thanks for helping him spar. Cloud muttered not to mention it. Sora found himself grinning. He scrambled up the coming incline on all fours until he reached Cloud's side.

"Do you think I've got a chance?" he asked with bated breath. Cloud gave him a sideways glance, murmuring that it depended on who fought him. Sora chuckled, blustering, "hopefully someone I can beat."

"All you can do is your best," Cloud muttered with head cast down. Again, silence dominated. Sora stared at the ease of Cloud's step and the sway of his back as he moved like a ghost through the thick vines and fallen trunks. Like Roxas, his entire being exuded confidence. Worldliness. For a sixteen year old, he seemed highly well adjusted.

"You're really good for a freshman," Sora breathed. Cloud snorted, using his sword to thrash through epiphytes and pitcher plants blocking his path. When Sora asked how he was so good, Cloud muttered that he was experimented on.

"Oh," muttered Sora. "That's… cool."

"No, it's not," returned Cloud. He fell silent. Then, raising his sword over his shoulder, he started talking about how he had dreamt of joining Shinra as a kid, but could not get into their SOLDIER program when he was old enough. He had been an infantryman at fourteen. At sixteen, he quit.

"Why did you quit?" asked Sora. Cloud leaned into him and whispered, "none of your business." Then he walked ahead. Sora picked up to a jog to tail him, jumping over whatever branches or stumps Cloud could not hack through with his broadsword.

"How did you find out about the Coliseum summer camp?" asked Sora.

"Someone invited me," responded Cloud over his shoulder. When Sora asked whom, Cloud narrowed his glance and murmured, "a friend of yours." It took Sora aback. It could not have been Sota, Nao, or Belle. Then he remembered the conversation he had overheard in the Coliseum bathroom that summer. The soft, grittyish voice that spoke to Cloud by the sinks. The boy who left his keys over the mirrors.

"Would you like to know a secret, Sora?" Cloud murmured. Sora stopped in hesitation. When Cloud turned to face him, Sora shrugged.

"This school's best are recruits."

"Riku?" gasped Sora.

Cloud snorted in derision and shook his head. Then he turned and walked. Sora followed him through another clearing in the depths beneath the school's peak. Both winced at the sudden sunlight. Then they breached darkness again. The ground squelched as they walked. As Sora's foot sank into swamp grass, he gasped and grabbed one of the strangler vines clinging to the trees surrounding. His foot shone red when he sucked it out from the mire. It must have been the high mineral content, but Sora pursed his lips as he stumbled forward. When he asked what way they were going, Cloud muttered that this trail carried them beneath the stone bridge crossing the school. Sora furrowed his brows. He could hear water and see mangroves in the distance. It must have been the river circling the mountain bottom.

"Isn't this a longer way?" asked Sora. Cloud shrugged and said Vanitas haunted the shorter route.

"Unless you'd like to chat with him about those posters," he chuckled. The color drained from Sora's face. When he asked Cloud if Vanitas had made them, Cloud shook his head with a snort. When he murmured that two other names came to mind, Sora lurched so close his nose nearly touched Cloud's shoulder.

"Not Riku," he insisted, more a plea than a demand. To his relief, Cloud shook his head.

"You?" Sora gasped. Cloud gaped, snapping an incredulous glance Sora's way. When Sora apologized, Cloud shook his head in irritation and said that Sora was an idiot.

"Nimo," Sora tried. Cloud rolled his eyes, but nodded, muttering a sarcastic congrats for Sora's third try.

"Nimo sat down and colored a poster of me?" Sora murmured in confusion. Cloud shrugged, correcting that he did not think Nimo made the poster himself. "I think he gave someone else the idea. Someone stupid or angry enough to risk getting caught."

"Well he succeeded in ruining my life," Sora muttered. Cloud glanced towards him once more before pursing his lips. Then, out of the blue, he asked Sora why Vanitas was in the picture. Sora's stomach wrenched. He scoffed in confusion, yelping as he slipped into another puddle of red swamp. When Cloud caught him by the arm and hoisted him close to his side, Sora blinked up at him and muttered, "I don't know."

"You know what they were lining up to do to you, right?" Cloud intoned. Sora's gut twisted harder. He muttered no. He half hoped that the Vanitas in the picture, and the people behind him, were lining up to peer over his shoulder. But when he remembered what Nimo had said in his dorm room, he looked at his plodding feet with a grimace. When he chanced a peek at Cloud, he found that the boy was staring at him.

"I'll tell you the other name if you tell me why Vanitas was in the picture," said Cloud. Sora snapped his mouth shut with a glare. Then, through gritted teeth he asked why Cloud wanted to know. Cloud blinked in surprise but shrugged.

"It's easy for me to get information when I want to," he said. "After a while, the channels it passes through get pretty predictable. But sometimes things get lost in translation. People have started asking each other the same questions I'm asking you."

"What does it matter to them?" snapped Sora. "They all think I'm done for, anyway."

Cloud shrugged again, murmuring that however "done" Sora was, he was a strong conversation point.

"All I'm saying, Sora, is that with questions, come answers," he said, finishing with a pointed glance. "I demand answers from people I know won't lead me astray."

"How do I know the people who offer to help me aren't hurting me?" Sora asked.

For a moment Cloud fixed him with a narrow, inscrutable glance. Then, he shrugged and murmured, "you don't."

"Prove whether I can trust you or not," shot Sora in return, puffing out his chest in challenge. Cloud cocked his head and smirked.

"You just followed me for a mile through a forest you have no idea how to get out of," he drawled. "You're gullible enough."

Sora faltered in shock. His cheeks burned red. Cloud turned and trudged away from the swamp grass up a steep incline at their side. When he pushed apart the flowers and vines concealing the forest edge and Sora slunk to his side in hesitation, they looked above together. Standing before them, was the stonewall lining the path to the school. They had traveled halfway up the mountain.

As Sora marveled at Cloud's directional skills and his own naivety, Cloud entreated him to stay sharp. Then he climbed over the mountain wall and parted for the school. Sora stayed in the forest, silent. A breeze drifted towards him from the path above, causing the epiphytes and orchids to shiver. How often had someone else stood in his position, watching others from the wooded darkness below? It almost reminded him of playing hide-and-seek on Destiny Islands. As he listened to the gush of the river behind, he remembered how much clearer the sea was back home than the murky, mangrove-ridden swamps here. Half the time he did not know where to set his foot. As he heard laughter and noticed students walking up the mountain path above, he sniffed and closed his eyes.

"Opulence," he murmured. When he opened them again, he climbed over the edge of the path wall and hurried for the school. When he got there, he returned to his empty dorm and tore through the books he had checked out. Then he got his notebook and made for the library. Until dinner he transcribed the fighting styles of himself and all of his classmates. Then, once he was sure everyone else had evacuated the great hall, he scarfed down some leftovers and returned to his dorm. As he pressed inside and let his books tumble to the ground, he noticed that Neku and Joshua were there: Neku lying on his bed, and Joshua leaning on the windowsill at his side. They both glanced at Sora with strange expressions.

"Hey, Joshua," Sora murmured. "Haven't seen you in a while."

Joshua gave a tired, forced smile. Neku continued to stare. When Sora asked what was wrong, he directed his gaze to the ground. Sora glanced behind him.

Sitting on the floor where it must have languished for a good hour, was a folded piece of paper.

"We read it," apologized Neku. Joshua added, "but we couldn't open the door to see who sent it fast enough."

Sora's hands shook as he picked it up. For some reason that he could not explain, he knew exactly what was in it. Tears were invading his vision once again. As he forced them back, he unfolded the piece of paper and gaped when he read its contents.

 _Riku gt u._

"What else could you expect?" asked Joshua. "It's been fate from the beginning."

"At least you know what you're up against," added Neku.

Sora let the paper fall to the ground. A vision of Riku digging his key blade into Rosso's chest during midterms and her pained face as she lay in the infirmary afterwards twisted through his mind. He gulped. Before Neku or Joshua could say anything else, Sora turned and wandered from his dorm into the hall. He found himself walking to the library. Once he got there he dug his fingers into one of the beanies before the front desk and dragged it to the LGBTQ cubby. Upon situating, he plopped down and set his head against the adjoining bookshelf. He heard voices, but no one came by. "Heroes" had better things to study than outsiders, he supposed.

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 **One chapter away from finals, and shit just got real! Hopefully its cooking as hot for you all as it is for me! Continue to read/fav/follow/review!**


	40. Last Chance

The Thursday before finals, Sora lumbered to his last probation officer meeting with grim determination. After climbing the steep, familiar steps, he rapped on the attic door thrice. Axel called for him to come in. When Sora entered the redhead was seated before his makeshift desk with his hands folded in front of him. Someone had upgraded his nameholder from paper to faded brass. An expulsion slip, probation-meeting form, pencil, and stack of essay paper were lined neatly before his entwined fingers. When Sora glanced from the forms to Axel's smile, his shoulders sagged.

"So," Axel began with a giddy sigh. "Last meeting!"

"Yup," Sora muttered. For a long while he twiddled his thumbs in silence. Axel stared in expectation. Then he cleared his throat and added, "Last chance." Sora nodded. More silence. Axel cleared his throat again, louder this time.

"I guess my last blessing to you is the truth," he explained. Then he wet his lips.

"First of all, I understand it's been a hard time for you. Joshua told me what actually happened the first week of school, and that was a real stroke of bad luck. From the little that I know, your warehouse misadventure was the wrong choice around the wrong people. But maybe your midterm and club performance is telling you it's time to throw in the towel. I was rooting for you just as much as anyone else, to be honest. Why not cut your losses and come back next year? We normally only let in fifteen year olds, anyway. Maybe you just weren't ready."

"What's wrong with my club performance?" asked Sora. The only one he was having trouble with was Poetry, because Nao was gone and nobody else had time to help him write.

"Marluxia said your petunia died," Axel explained. Sora's mouth nearly fell to the floor.

"What?" he screeched, standing up and knocking his chair over in the process. Axel held up his hands to calm him down.

"Woah, Sora," he warned. "Your expulsion slip is at the tip of my fingers."

"I have been looking after that petunia every day," Sora cried. "It was fine this morning!"

"Well, maybe it gave up," snapped Axel. "And I think you should too if you ever want to study in these walls again. Your probation is up the day after finals finish. On that day, you will be suspended from classes until a Galactic Federation Vessel bothers to pick you up. If you evade the vessel you will be arrested."

"And then what?" Sora barked.

"You live out your days on good ol' Destiny Islands," responded Axel with a sneer. After both calmed down, Axel held up the essay paper and sighed. "I am giving you a get out of jail free card, Sora," he breathed. "All I need is one sentence. 'I voluntarily resign my place at The Land of Departure Key Blade Academy.' That is it."

Sora shut his mouth tight. He glanced at the paper with furrowed brows, taking it in his hands and running his fingers over it. As Sora set the paper on the desk, Axel handed him a pencil. Sora gripped it hard. He started the sentence. Then he stopped and glared down at the words.

Sora tore the paper in half and balled it up. Then he threw it on Axel's desk and folded his arms over his chest with pride.

"I'm not giving up!" he beamed. "I am staying at this school no matter what."

Axel looked at him in disbelief. As his expression changed, he grabbed the paper and held it up. Before Sora's very eyes, Axel's hand caught flame and singed the pages to ashes. When the charcoal fell from his palm onto his desk he wiped the crumbs away and said, "done!"

"Good luck on finals, Sora," he added as the boy stood to leave. "I hope you've packed your bags."

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 **A/N: Shit just got REAL. *Sigh* I would have liked to get more reviews/favs/follows on this story... maybe you guys will pull through on the next chapter LOL (expectant face.) I hope hero finals will have all of you shook, snatched, scalped, etc.**

 **I find it so funny how most of the comments are by guests! Make accounts, you guys, lol! You'd get instant notifications when new chapters go up and fan fiction NEVER sends junk mail (right now, anyway... and you can also follow and favorite mah lil' stohry that wai [what?]) For the mysterious guest in row twelve who commented "how is that not an instant loss for Sora?" on the last chapter... mwa ha ha. When I read that I had a full on evil laugh moment. Just you wait. For the guest who commented hoping that Riku and Sora would be a pairing... it won't be for a long time, but I'm definitely planning on it to start by the end of year two.**

 **This year was a lot of man vs world, next year is going to be a ton of man vs self. So far there's like, one chapter of fighting. I think that will change towards the latter half, but I think that year two is going to be a shit ton longer than year one... and that scares me a lil' bit but so much shit is going down! It'll be more serious and way spicier. And hopefully I can hold all the strings together.**


	41. The Final Test

**Warning: language, violence, peril, tears if I don't get any favs/follows/reviews :)**

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"Everybody gather around my feet!"

Sora remained at the back of the horde of students as Shelke attempted to reign everyone in. They were in the same clearing they had used for midterms. But this time the bleachers were gone. The field was empty of boxes and curtains. A wide chalk circle had been drawn at the field's center. A long table and bench sat far behind it. The grass had been shaven clean from the scalp of the earth beneath. All stood on hard packed soil. Yuffie and Aerith kept Sora's side. Tifa and Cloud stood somewhere else. As Shelke stepped atop a platform at the center of the crowd Sora felt a hand press against his back. When he turned to look over his shoulder, his eyebrows raised.

Roxas. The Roxas Sora had hardly seen for an entire semester.

Sora opened and closed his mouth in disbelief. After his shock subsided his lips shut in aggravation. He attempted to hold back tears. Roxas responded with blinking surprise. But Sora glanced towards Shelke. He could not afford to let anger cloud this exam. Especially anger over the fact that the person who had been completely at his side for the first few weeks of school had all but disappeared when Sora needed him most. Sora shooed the fact that he had gotten Roxas in trouble from his mind and directed his vision forward. For once, no one had to tell him to pay attention.

"First of all, I want to thank you," started Shelke. Weiss and Usher chuckled behind her. Argento and Nero stood silent. Azul wore a grave expression. He stood close to Rosso, who seemed fine save for apparent exhaustion. With a wince she massaged the place Riku had impaled her. Every so often she glanced towards certain students with curled lip. Riku. Nimo. Ventus. Roxas. And then Sora. When she settled on Sora, her eyebrows raised in amusement. Then, her beady glance narrowed and a small, smug smile played across her lips. Sora ignored it, raised his chin, and kept his eyes on Shelke.

"Thank you all for a wonderful semester," she continued. "We learned as much as you did. I'd like to add that this year saw some of our most hardworking and…" Shelke struggled to find another word before settling on, "determined students. All that's left is to believe in your talent. Whatever class you may be in, whomever you will be slated to duel, fight to win. Now, Argento will relay the rules."

Argento stepped forward and retrieved a scroll of paper from her side. Then, unfurling it and clearing her throat, she read it out loud.

"Freshman combat finals shall commence on the Monday of the fifteenth week of the fall semester at 9 am sharp and end the following day before 2 pm sharp. Students shall assemble in the uniform used to adjudicate their midterm in the eighth week of the fall semester. Clothing, jewelry, armor, or keychains built to enhance the power of the weapon or bearer are illegal. If any such item is found on the student's person the student will be expelled. Appropriate professors may preapprove potions and elixers. Preapproved items must be presented along with a signature of consent from the professor preexam. The student code of conduct must be signed and turned in with all students preexam. Cheating of any sort as outlined in the student code of conduct will prove grounds for expulsion. Dueling order as preapproved by the committee of freshman faculty shall not be changed midexam. Failure to attend the assigned duel on time or in its entirety will result in a grade F for the combat final. Straying outside the exam arena outside approved break times will result in a grade F for the combat final. Discussing exam specifics outside the exam arena will result in a grade F for the combat final. Duels shall not exceed twenty minutes. All duels shall be followed by a five-minute break. Freshman combat finals shall not exceed ten hours in total. Freshman finals shall be split into two five-hour segments to be adjudicated by the administration and freshman combat faculty."

At this point, faculty began seating themselves at the long table facing the dueling ring. There was Eraqus, Reno, and Axel. Azul, Rosso, Usher, Weiss, and Nero lumbered towards them while Shelke and Argento stayed astride the podium.

"Students shall sit quietly and calmly during the exam until five minutes before their duel. During those five minutes they will be allowed warm up. They will be given a warning one minute before the duel commences. If the duelists are not in ready position by the time the buzzer counts to zero, they will be granted a grade of F on their combat final. Students will exit the dueling ring quickly and quietly following their duel and sit through the remainder of the five-hour exam segment. Students are required during both days of the exam. Any disturbances by students not in the ring will result in expulsion. Any questions?"

The first years blinked in horror. Argento rolled up the scroll of rules and set it back to her side in satisfaction. Then, once she was certain the entire judging faculty was seated bar herself and Shelke, she plugged her whistle in her mouth, blew a shrill note, and hopped off the platform. Once it was relinquished, she called everyone with preapproved items to meet her on the west side of the arena while students turning in their code of conduct met Shelke on the east. When Sora stepped before her with his meager collection of potions, she examined him with narrowed eyes.

"Did you make these yourself, Sora?" she asked. Sora nodded and pointed to Coco's signature. Argento examined the little vials and asked if Sora had a place to put them. Sora pointed to the reinforced pocket on the side of his shoe. Argento nodded. Then, to Sora's surprise, she smiled.

"Good luck," she murmured. "You've worked very hard. Anyone with two eyes can see that."

"What about you?" asked Sora cheekily. Argento blinked up at him and padded her eyepatch with a snort.

"I walked right into that one, didn't I?" she sighed. Then her expression changed again. "I'll be rooting for you," she whispered. Then she winked. Sora's heart did a backflip. He nodded, bowed, and trundled off with his potions in hand. Once everyone had his or her items and codes of conduct reviewed, there was a thirty-minute warm up. As Sora stretched and attempted running through Leon's strategy in his head he felt a shadow press over his back. When he glanced up, Nimo, Noel, and Riku stood over him. Sora attempted ignoring them until Nimo murmured, "hello."

"What do you want?" Sora grumbled. Nimo shrugged.

"We just want to say our goodbyes," he sighed. "I hope your flight back home is comfortable."

Sora glanced towards Riku. The silverette's face was bathed in a combination of smugness and disdain. Sora found himself shrinking. His fingers trembled. Riku's glance hardly met him. When it did, it moved over the top of his head as if he were a pile of stones.

"Are you going to say goodbye to me, as well, Riku?" Sora asked, forcing his voice not to shake. "Or are you going to let Nimo talk for you?"

"I wouldn't make him angry if I were you," responded Nimo.

"I guess that answers my question," shot Sora. Nimo's smile disappeared. He and Riku left as quickly as they had come. Replacing them loomed another set of feet. When Sora glanced up he scowled deeper. Roxas. Expressionless. When Sora continued stretching the boy cleared his throat and leaned in.

"Sora?" he asked.

"Come to say goodbye?" Sora muttered. Roxas gave a weak smile but shook his head.

"No," he murmured. "I wanted to apologize, actually."

Sora stopped what he was doing for a brief moment, blinking in surprise. Then he returned to fiddling with his potions with twice the gusto he had been.

"I left you in the dark for a long time," Roxas explained.

"It's fine," pouted Sora. "I got you in trouble. You had to look after yourself."

"A true friend would have helped you no matter what," Roxas insisted. Then he smiled again. "But I mostly want to say, good luck. And to tell you something important." Sora furrowed his brows as Roxas hunkered beside him. The blond beckoned him forward and cupped his hand around Sora's ear.

"I believe in you," he whispered.

Sora blinked up at Roxas as the boy beamed and winked. Sora cracked a half grin. Roxas saluted him. Then he disappeared into the crowd. Overhead boomed a call for Marceline and Wally West, the first combatants, to enter the dueling ring for their five minute warm up. Wally stretched his hamstrings and muttered to himself. As he closed his eyes he walked around in circles and swung his knees to his chest. Marceline repeated turning her arms into tentacles and her eyes jet black, muttering all the while. The double act would have been comical had Sora not been terrified. The rest of the class was commanded to seat themselves on the grass behind the judges' table. One by one the teachers dove into the top of their evaluation stacks. Argento positioned herself near the table's end with her stack of examination forms and pencil at the ready. Her right hand hovered over a large red button connected by wire to a speaker. Above the button was a microphone. After checking her watch, she reached towards it and called, "two minutes."

Wally West and Marceline shook as they stared at one another. Both had fierce determination in their eyes.

"One minute. Combatants in ready position."

Marceline and Wally crouched into opposite ends of the ring. Sora clamped his hands over his eyes and peeked through his fingers.

"Combatants- GO!" Argento roared, and slammed her hand on the red button. When its buzzer sounded over the speakers, Wally slipped into a red blur. Marceline turned invisible. But she was not quick enough to evade Wally. He got in several punches and dodged quickly when she shot fire at him from thin air. A sizzling spark singed his clothing and made the skin of his thigh blister. He gritted his teeth and rushed forward again, searching the field. Marceline was somewhere in the air. Suddenly, there was a tremor of light about fifty feet above the ring's center. Wally's eyes widened. With all his might he charged into the air, running until he met what Sora assumed was Marceline. Sora gasped. Wally had run along the forcefield surrounding the playing field. A roar unlike any Sora had ever heard pierced the sky. Suddenly Wally was being shoved towards the forcefield's opposite wall, crushed by an invisible being that grew larger and larger. Marceline must have switched to her tentacle monster form. Somehow Wally evaded it and ran a tight circle around her, weaving a small tornado that brought her visible to the ground with a crash. Sora clamped his hands over his eyes and pointed his nose between his feet, humming over the shrieks and cries roaring from the ring. Much more of this and he would be sick. Just as he contemplated shoving his fingers in his ears, the buzzer sounded.

"Combatants, exit the field!" boomed Argento over the mike. Sora peeped up. Wally limped from the field with a look of despair. Marceline tore from the ring and brushed by the judges in anger, wincing as her bruised thigh met with their table.

"Roxas and Ventus Eraqus, please enter the dueling ring."

Sora's mouth fell open in shock. Surely the professers would not make Roxas fight his own brother? When Sora glanced back at him, the boy was nodding coolly and strolling towards the ring. Ventus pulled up close behind him, a dreadful look painted across his face. Sora's brows furrowed.

Roxas and Ventus separated to opposite ends of the ring and began warming up. Ventus was checking to see if he had packed all of his items securely. As he stretched he set his hand against his heart and whispered to himself. Roxas stood still and expressionless, not stretching, not muttering, not even trembling. Nothing Sora saw told him the boy was remotely prepared to battle. But the silence dripping through the air was full and deafening.

"Two minutes," Argento called. Sora glanced towards the judges' table in terror. Axel was smiling bigger than Sora had ever seen. He leaned in to his brother and patted him on the back. Reno threw back his head and laughed. Eraqus flicked dust from his belt. Argento's hand hovered over the buzzer. Sora's stomach flipped again.

"One minute," warned Argento. "Combatants in ready position."

Ventus separated to his side of the ring and held his hand out. A dash of brilliant light extended from his palm as he summoned his keyblade. The crowd gasped. Ventus crouched into ready position, twirling the weapon behind him as he hopped from foot to foot. Roxas remained still. He had summoned nothing.

"Combatants- GO!"

Immediately Ventus rushed at Roxas with a fury Sora had never known, casting some sort of air spell to cloak himself. Roxas summoned his blade at the last moment and sheathed himself in a barrier spell. Before its offensive shards could pierce the swirling wind surrounding Ventus' torso, Ventus leapt high in the air and spun. Like a miniature tornado he barreled for Roxas' head, forcing him to cast barrier after barrier. When Ventus veered towards Roxas a final time, the boy dodged and knocked his keyblade hard against his brother's head. The crowd gasped as Ventus teetered. Before anyone could breath, a massive fireball burst from Ventus' keyblade and fired right for Roxas' stomach. The boy cast a barrier easily, but its shards shattered as Ventus hurled himself backwards and forwards past Roxas. Roxas jumped through the air to avoid the sonic attack. When Ventus barreled past him a final time, Roxas whacked him in the back. Axel howled with laughter. The tiniest hint of a smile played across Roxas' face. Ventus stopped at the other end of the field and stamped his feet against the ground in anger. Then, gritting his teeth, he cloaked the field in lightning and watched with satisfaction as Roxas' body tensed from electric shock.

"Pity Larxene couldn't see that," Sora thought he heard Axel joke behind him. He gritted his teeth and gnawed at his fingers.

When Roxas lurched forward Ventus stunned him and cast an angry purple orb over his head. Roxas teetered. It was as though the strength was being sucked from his body. In anger he charged and thrust his keyblade at Ventus' head. The boy dodged easily, preparing to cast another thunder spell, but Roxas beat him to it by showering him with water. As Ventus squealed Roxas sent a nasty bolt of lightning towards him that drove the boy off his feet. Ventus jittered as he fell against the charged ground. The judges leaned over their seats to call time. But Ventus shrieked and stood again, casting fire to eliminate the water, and then cure. Roxas cast at the same time. Their magic had been spent. They panted as they waited. But Ventus had something up his sleeve. With a grin he swept into the air and clutched his heart. Light streamed around his feet. Something was happening to him. Roxas looked on grimly as the light surrounding the boy disappeared. Ventus grinned and drove at Roxas again, this time donning a much heavier, harder combat style. He had slowed past Roxas' speed. But his blade slammed into Roxas like a pound of stone. Roxas staggered his weight to take the blows, almost falling to his knees at his brother's new strength. When Ventus slammed his keyblade into the ground and brought pounds of earth around Roxas' feet, Roxas was engulfed. When he emerged he cast another cure.

Ventus downed two elixirs and went in for another attack. Roxas stopped midrun. Suddenly Ventus was on every side of him, warping from one point to the next, hacking away at Roxas' frozen form. Before Ventus could get in a third round, Roxas unfroze and bolted him with such a strong burst of darkness Ventus catapulted to the field's opposite end and knelt in a daze. Roxas teetered as Ventus pointed his key blade and shut one eye. Roxas cursed. Then he ran in zig zags, throwing Ventus' aim until Ventus swore and cast blizzaga. Roxas blocked against the ice, swaying as he shook from cold. Ventus grinned. Roxas gritted his teeth. Then, gripping his keyblade hard in his hands, he tore it in half. The crowd went wild. Reno stood and nearly threw himself over the table. Axel clapped his hand to his forehead and gasped. Ventus sat gobsmacked. Roxas sneered and twirled the duel blades on either side of him. For a moment his brother teetered in shock. Then, rage contorted his face and bared his teeth. As Ventus charged, a force spiraled from Roxas' torso and almost knocked him off his feet. Ventus seethed. Roxas lunged.

The fight reached blistering speeds. Tornadoes of fire and lightning swirled around the boys as they tore at one another to kill. Roxas shoved Ventus down with the heel of his foot. Ventus tore at his brother's clothes. Roxas hammered both his keyblades against Ventus' weak blocks repeatedly. Ventus fell to one knee. Before Roxas could finish him off, the boy heaved all of his weight forward and sent Roxas to the field's other side. Once Roxas was away, Ventus cried out and thrust his key blade into the air. Columns of white light descended and spun around him. Before they could reach Roxas, the boy summoned identical columns and rushed forward. The white beams raged and dug through the weak soil in circular motions as the boys fought through the cracks. When Ventus' concentration was broken and his faith disappeared, several columns glided over him. He cried out in pain. Without mercy Roxas hooked one of his blades around Ventus' and tore it from his grip. As Ventus' blade landed outside the forcefield, Roxas slipped one of his own at Ventus' throat. The buzzer sounded. The light columns burst and shattered into twinkling little stars.

"Combatants, exit the field," Argento heaved. She mopped sweat from her brow as Reno and Axel whispered to each other. Roxas swept out of the ring and threw Ventus' keyblade to the boy's feet. As Ventus picked it up, he punched its handle and broke into sobs. His tears flowed so heavily he could barely walk. As Sora watched him, his breath staggered. He bit his lip.

Sora did not hear the call for the next pair of contestants. He sat through four more matches with glazed eyes. When the second to last set finished, he closed them and rubbed at the caustic knot eating his stomach. He did not need to be told who was up last.

"Riku Miyano and Sora Nomura."

Sora heard a rustling behind him. A shadow swept past. He shrank to avoid it. Riku brushed over without a second glance. Sora swallowed and stood as well, shaking as he gripped the two-foot long, rubber handled metal rod that looked more like a walking stick than a weapon and trundled forward. Snorts and muffled giggles rose behind him. He lowered his head and clutched his hand to his heart.

"I am my own special creation," he gulped to himself. He could hear faint whispers in the crowd behind. He did not dare peek at Argento. He knew she would be watching him closely. He thought of Destiny Islands, of himself and Riku racing down through paopu and palms, sitting on the curved tree near the water's edge. Making sandcastles. Building the raft.

"Two minutes," Argento hissed. Sora shook himself and jumped up and down on his feet. Riku snorted at him. When Sora glanced forward, he grimaced. Riku leaned against the invisible forcefield wall in wait, picking at his nails with heavy sighs.

"One minute," Argento called. She had forgotten to shout "ready." No one seemed to care. The air was filled with tension. Sora kept his eyes on Riku's feet as he bounced and attempted stretching. But his heart was not in it. When the buzzer sounded and Argento called "GO," he yelped and nearly tripped over his rod. The crowd broke into laughter. He gritted his teeth. Then, with a gust of breath, he glanced into Riku's eyes and deflated.

The silverette wore a lazy expression. His hand settled on his hip. His lip curled as though Sora were a rotting slug. Sora sucked in another breath and gripped his rod tightly. Riku remained still.

"You going to give up or not?" the silverette called. The class sputtered with muffled laughter. Sora shook his head.

"Never," he croaked. Riku snorted and summoned his key blade. Sora blinked at it in horror. Four feet of glistening wing and criss crossed leather handle curved from his black gloved hand. Deep indigo joints with webbing a pulsing, blood red. Tip seeping with darkness. A startling, serpentine blue eye blinking from the center of its handle. As if just waking, it squinted and rolled its glance from one side of the field to the next. When its gaze centered on Sora, the pupil within contracted to a deep slit.

"Why did you get Sice expelled?" blurted Sora. Riku shrugged.

"Because I felt like it," he said. Sora gulped.

"Why do you hate me?" he asked. Riku's expression remained fixed. His eyes narrowed.

"I don't hate you, Sora," he murmured. "You're unremarkable. I hate your attitude."

"You didn't hate it back home," Sora fought.

"I didn't know any better," Riku shot back. He smiled. "I know now that the universe is so much more than Destiny Islands. Back there, you were one of the only people I tolerated. Here, I loathe every second in your company. It's all relative. Don't take it personally. I'm cutting off dead leaves."

"I'm a dead leaf?" Sora whispered. Riku crouched into a ready position, his blade held high over his head. Sora clutched his rod in both hands.

"Please, Riku!" he hiccupped. "We had good times! When will you laugh without me?"

"Ha!" Riku scoffed in triumph, twirling his blade in his hand. He snarled that he would laugh when Sora was expelled for good. Sora blinked in horror. His grip on his rod lightened so much it nearly slipped from his hands. In vain he forced himself not to cry. He bit his lip so hard it bled. Even so, tears rolled from his cheeks to the ground before his feet in fat globs. When he sniffed, his breath shuddered. Closing his eyes and letting out a deep breath, he gritted his teeth in determination and slipped into a ready position.

"No matter how worthless you think I am," he hissed. "I'll always remember you as my best friend."

"I'm sending you home," Riku snarled. Then he lunged.

Sora gasped and used his rod to block as Riku sent three blistering blows at him. Before Riku could fling his rod away, Sora crashed his foot into Riku's heel and sent the boy reeling back. In the lull Sora wiped the tears from his eyes and whispered to himself.

"I have to win," he breathed, a fire churning inside him.

Sora cast a shard of barrier as Riku sent a massive ball of black flame towards him. Its tendrils singed the hair on Sora's arms and drained his energy. But the fire in the pit of Sora's stomach burned on.

"Give up!" Riku roared. He charged at Sora and jumped in the air, sending a shockwave so far through the ground that lightning burst up around him. It knocked Sora off his feet. Before Sora could recover, Riku pummeled him five more times. Somehow Sora staggered to the opposite end of the field and downed a potion. He barely missed Riku's next dive, going right behind him like Cloud had said and kicking the back of his knee. When Riku faltered Sora whacked him in the head and used Riku's coming blade to propel himself to the field's opposite end. The crowd gasped. Sora's heart beat like a hammer. Riku charged. Sora repeated his dash behind move and twirled away when Riku anticipated. When Riku swung his blade forward, Sora pressed his rod against its outside edge and made Riku turn too fast. As the silverette tumbled Sora tripped him so that he fell on all fours. The crowd howled with laughter. Sora grinned. When he saw the look on Riku's face, though, his smile faded.

Riku backed off and reeled back his arm. With a "yah!" the silverette flung several lightning boomerangs for Sora's head. Sora ducked them easily. When Riku ran at him again Sora prepared to dodge behind. Riku jumped in the air and Sora dodge rolled beneath and away. But Riku's shockwave attack had grown stronger.

Lightning tremors burst up all over the ring, engulfing Sora and making him cry out when he attempted avoiding them. As they lulled and Riku recovered, Sora gulped down another two potions. When Riku came for him again Sora clocked him until he fell stunned. Sora pummeled him several more times before rolling away. When he attempted a disarm, Riku punched him so hard he nearly passed out. As Sora staggered to the other side of the field to spit blood and clear his watering eyes, Riku wiped his mouth and gritted his teeth.

"No more Mr. Nice Guy," he growled. With a deep breath he raised his arms and lifted into the air, letting rolls of darkness descend overhead until he was bathed in brilliant, iridescent light. Sora turned just as Riku pointed his blade. When he saw the aim of its tip, his heart dropped.

Suddenly the surrounding world disappeared. All Sora saw was blackness and blinding electric light. All he felt was searing pain. Then, suddenly, Riku jumped into the air and raised his blade. Before he could come down, Sora downed the last of his potions. The resulting shockwave engulfed the dueling ring in darkness and made Sora retch. With all his might he forced the potion to stay inside him. As Riku walked forward with darkness steaming from his back, Sora crawled away from him. Somehow, he had lost his rod. When Riku held it up and chucked it outside the forcefield walls, Sora stifled a sob.

"How can you fight without a weapon?" Riku huffed. "Just fucking give up."

"I don't need a piece of steel," Sora gasped through a sob. "I've got my heart!"

Riku threw back his head and laughed.

"Who sold you that sick tripe?" he hissed. "Vanitas coo that in your ear before he took you out back at that party?"

Sora's world smashed. Suddenly his nightmares surrounded him again: the prodding, the inability to move, the hiss of the cackling radio growing softer and softer the harder he listened. The poster. Nimo. Reno. Cloud, Axel, and Coco. Vanitas' gleaming yellow eyes in darkness. Sora choked. Words failed him. For a glimmer of a moment Riku's brows furrowed as if in regret. Then his expression hardened. Sora grimaced.

"You don't know what you're talking about," he spat. Suddenly Riku looked at him with pity.

"Just go home, Sora," he said. "This world is too big for you."

"Opulence!" Sora roared, heaving up and looking Riku in the eye. "I own everything and everything is mine!"

Riku gritted his teeth and thrust his blade at Sora's mouth. But Sora blocked it. A light was burning from his heart, forming into a bolt beneath his grip.

"And I am as free as the wind that is blowing out on this beach!"

Somehow Sora thrust Riku's weapon away. Riku reeled back. Sora blinked in shock. When he glanced down he gasped.

There, shining like a shooting star in his hands was a golden handled key blade. Sora glanced up. Before Riku could move he jumped and brought the key blade straight between the silverette's eyes, engulfing both of them in a haze of light that blasted across the entire field. When the dust cleared and the teachers swept around from their judging table, they gasped.

Sora leaned against his key blade with Riku curled in a crumpled heap at his side. The student body went wild. Forcefields could not contain them. They charged forward and picked Sora up by the scruff of his neck, launching him into the air and making a throne of hands for him as they carried him around in circles. Sora held his key blade high and cried out with delight, staring at its beautiful silver bit and the glint of sunlight that soared from its tip. Riku and Nimo sat forgotten behind him, Riku waking in a daze after a teacher cast cure over him.

When Sora glanced into the faces surrounding, he beamed a bloody grin. Aerith, Yuffie, Cloud, Hayner, Olette, Pence, Zell, Joshua, and even Neku sobbed as they held him. In the distance, Reno stood on the judging table hooting with pride as Axel shook his head in shock. The last face Sora saw, though, made him grin brightest.

Roxas was on the opposite end of the clearing, clapping. His cheeks shone rose gold. His beam was warm and wide. His deep blue eyes twinkled. When Sora waved his newfound key blade, Roxas let out a peal of laughter so wonderful Sora considered flying over and kissing him. As someone cast cure, Sora felt his pain dredge away. Back at the judging table, Argento fumbled for the microphone and turned the volume up.

"That concludes part one of freshmen midterms!" she chuckled breathlessly. "Please report to this clearing the same time tomorrow. Until that time, good luck, and damn good work."


	42. A Bittersweet End

It was the end of term, the last day of school, and Sora wandered past the empty classrooms in the early morning light like a newly crowned king. A special brunch was to be held on the summit following the end of semester meeting. Their homeroom teachers had already handed all freshmen special forms asking them to stay through their winter break. Sora passed Solo Performance with an A-, LGBTQ with an A, Poetry with a B+, and Garening with a C. He did not even want to know what his combat grade was. He was way below the GPA he should have had. This meant expulsion. But his teachers had told him nothing. According to student gossip, the new class combat ranking would be coming out in just a few hours.

From combat finals to today, Sora had summoned his key blade constantly. Now that he had one, all unspoken rules barring him from joy or human affection disappeared. Suddenly, he had friends whose faces he did not even recognize. Hayner and the old gang returned in a flash. But he trained with Yuffie, Aerith, and Leon so much that he hardly spoke to them. He ran with Argento every morning. And everyday, he had a preapproved training session with Roxas. But he never saw Riku or Kairi. It was as if they had been spirited away, Kairi following midterms, and Riku following the final. Rumors about Riku being in the hospital had floated around since. Sora tried not to listen to them. Vanitas' cackle made Sora a little less ill, but ever since the party on Avenida Ventus had been rotten.

As he pushed through the front double doors to the school and tied back his gravity defying locks, Sora peered around for Argento. They usually started at the forecourt. But today, she was not there. Sora furrowed his brows and took a 360-degree turn around his center. She wasn't on the east peak, the summit, the west peak, or huddled in the school garden. In fact, no one bar two distant figures stood on the school grounds at all.

They were just outside the gardens, shielded by the shadow of the shrub creature with the pompom and bulbous nose. One of them was tall and male, with spikey pink hair. The other was a tiny flower of pearl; trembling, blonde, and dressed in white. Her blue sandaled feet shifted back and forth. When the man bent closer, Sora recognized him as Marluxia. He seemed to be giving out to the girl. As his index finger shook in her face, she cowered and nodded. Marluxia's shoulders relaxed. The pair began to turn.

Before he could be caught staring, Sora dived up the entrance steps and crawled through the front doors, charging up the stairs inside as voices rung behind him. After regaining control of his breath he returned down the stairs and made for the door at a stroll. Marluxia pushed it open for him. As the two met, Sora tried an innocent hello. Marluxia narrowed his eyes.

"Good morning, Sora." He murmured. "A little early for you to be out, isn't it?"

"I run with Argento," Sora responded. Marluxia smiled warmly.

"You might be the only student in your class still training."

"Heroes don't get vacations!" Sora chirped. Marluxia chortled.

"Of course they don't," he sneered, patting Sora on the shoulder. Then he set his hands on his hips, cocking his head as if sizing Sora up.

"Well," he sighed. "Good luck next semester. I do hope dear Riku stumbles along more gracefully than you have thus far. But the way he has behaved leaves much to be desired."

"What?" Sora blurted in confusion. Marluxia's eyes twinkled as a grin broke across his face.

"A few of his professors have cooked up a plan for next semester. A plan to show him what he really is," he hissed. Then he bowed goodbye and turned to leave.

"What do you mean, 'what he really is?'" called Sora. But Marluxia was gone. With a firm glance Sora tore back to the forecourt and looked for Argento. As he trundled about in confusion, a shadow passed overhead as a silver falcon soared onto his shoulder. When Sora yelped at it, it responded, "no run for today. Argento sends her apologies."

Sora furrowed his brows and asked why. But the bird lifted off and flew to a window on the third floor. Sora stared as it disappeared inside. That must have been Argento's office. With all his might he charged back into the school and up the steps past the great hall, up to the third floor and down its right corridor. He skidded to a stop at the third office from the left and burst inside, panting and staring around wildly. What greeted him was a wall of sodden brown. Sora lurched back against the door in shock. He felt the smooth, softish surface ahead of him in confusion. It was a stack. Boxes. Cardboard boxes. Five of them, piled one on top of the other. Behind the first stack was another stack, and behind that another, and another. They sat like a bonfire mound in the center of the floor. The two visitor chairs had been pushed against the wall. The little Sora could see of Argento's desk looked bare. Someone was rummaging around the drawers, but the bonfire stack of boxes obscured them from sight.

"Argento?" Sora called. The rummaging stopped. There was a sigh. Sora climbed around the edge of the boxes and landed at the side of the desk. Another, smaller cardboard box sat at its center. It was filled with staplers, scissors, forms, folders, binders, pens, pencils, and other odds and ends. Argento's silver name holder was turned upside down at its side. As she opened and moved the contents of her drawers into nooks in the open cardboard box's corners, Sora blinked and gaped.

"What are you looking at, Sora?" she asked.

"Why are you packing up?" he breathed in befuddlement.

"Because I am leaving," responded Argento. She turned away as Sora stared, hoisting the last of her drawer's contents into the cardboard box before taping it up. After heaving it on top of the rest of the stack, she wiped her hands and reached into her shoulder bag for a folder with a stack of forms in it. With it in hand, she pulled over her remaining office chair and began filling out each page. Most had the word "Resignation" plastered against their tops.

"You're quitting?" Sora breathed. Argento sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"Resigning, Sora. I'm resigning."

"Why?"

"I cannot vindicate teaching here any longer," she said. "It is too painful."

"I don't understand," Sora said. Argento slipped the first signed form to the back of her stack and started on the second, stopping as the breeze from the open window ruffled against the back of her hair. Her falcon shivered on its perch. Argento glanced towards it with a distant look.

"I remember myself at sixteen," she murmured. "Signing up for the Wutai Army. Being stationed as a sniper over Wutai Village. Being captured and taken by Shinra to Midgar's Sector 0 at seventeen. For ten years I promised myself I would never do the same to another as they did to me. And yet here I am. Cheating myself."

"Where will you go?" Sora asked.

"Back," she responded. "Only myself and Usher were offered tenure. It would have meant freedom from Sector 0 and the Restrictors. But every open door offers new shackles. I could not bow to Shinra any longer."

"Does that mean the other Tsviets are fired?" asked Sora. Argento chuckled.

"We'll all be going home," she muttered, signing form number five with savage strokes. The last ten pages required only signatures. When she scribbled through and piled all of them into their folder, she sighed and heaved herself up.

"Why did you come all this way to go home after a couple of months?" Sora pleaded.

"We were offered freedom in return for work, Sora," Argento explained as she slipped her bag over her shoulder. "We came under the pretense that we would teach. Instead we studied you. Every time I think of how ingeniously obvious it was, I could cry. The way they treated you was proof enough. You weren't children to them. You were toys."

"I never felt like a toy," tried Sora. But the words rang false. Argento chuckled and hung her head. In that moment, Sora saw a glimmer of how exhausted she was. Tears brimmed his eyes as he shut his mouth in discomfort. After tearing herself from whatever thoughts enshrouded her, Argento set her hands against Sora's shoulders and looked him up and down with a smile.

"I enjoyed so much watching you grow," she whispered. "I wanted so much for you to succeed that I forgot what was at stake if you did. I am so sorry."

"What could be at stake when you have a key blade?" asked Sora. Argento responded with silence. Then she grinned and rubbed Sora's arms.

"I've been in touch with Sice," she tried. "She's better than ever. You could smuggle off with me and meet up with her. Be a hero on your own terms. How does monster hunting in Agrabah sound?"

Sora grinned at the prospect of monster hunting with Sice and Argento. But then his expression softened and his brows furrowed.

"Well... I've got these friends..."

"What about them?" responded Argento.

"If this school is as dangerous as you say it is, what if they're in trouble? Who will help them?"

Argento moved to speak but stopped. Tears were welling in her eyes. As she let her bag drop to the ground she threw her arms around Sora and embraced him tightly, leaning her chin over his head and rubbing his back. With a sniff Sora hugged back, shutting his eyes and burying his face in the folds of her jacket as he clasped his hands like a child around her waist. When Argento broke away she looked at Sora with pride. Then, wiping her eyes, she picked up her bag and rummaged in her pockets for her office keys.

"The staff has offered to carry my things to the spaceship. You'd better hurry downstairs to look at final rankings. I'll be heading off just after brunch. For now, I've got to hand in my final resignation. Good luck, Sora."

With that she heaved her satchel close, grabbed the long, thin bag that most likely contained her broadsword, and sidled through the office door with Sora trailing behind. Her falcon slipped from its perch and swooped onto her shoulder when she called for it. As all stepped into the landing and turned their separate ways, Argento gripped his arm once more.

"Sora," she murmured, pursing her lips and furrowing her brows. "If you stay, you must be wise. Be wary of anyone connected to Eraqus or Organization Thirteen. I've heard talk of more invasive experiments next year. If at any point your classmates start disappearing, or if you are implored to participate in "tests," especially if those tests occur while you are unaware- leave this place."

"Is something going to happen?" asked Sora.

"I haven't been told enough to know. What I do know is that you always have the right to say no. Your body and heart belong only to you."

Sora remembered what Coco had said weeks before and felt a warm sadness wash over him. He hugged Argento one more time and thanked her for everything. Then, he parted from her side and trudged down through the nearest exit stairwell, waving as she slipped towards the teacher's lounge. As he trudged down the concrete steps, loud voices echoed towards him from the stairwell bottom. When he peered to their lowest point, he saw the double exit doors leading out the back of the school open. The ghost white, pale blonde Sora had noticed speaking with Marluxia in the garden was directing a group of what looked like Shinra employees towards the large elevator at the end of the basement hall. The suits were hauling in crate after enormous wooden crate. Each containment was massive- some the size of a small room. When one of the wheels hitched against the exit threshold and the crate on top buckled from side to side, the blonde yelped and rushed to examine the spaces between its wooden panels.

"It's glass!" She wailed. "With infantesimal, delicate pipes and wires for magical and electrical conduction! The slightest crack could…"

Suddenly the girl whipped her head up and caught Sora's eye. Her cheeks shone pink as roses against alabaster. Her eyes darted like two wavering blue pools. As she stared at him he grinned and waved. A small, strange smile played across her nervous face.

"Sora Nomura?" she called.

"Yes?" Sora responded with a croak. The girl gave a nervous titter.

"Mr. Nomura, may you continue to the entrance hall and leave us be? I believe we taped up a sign saying this hall was restricted today."

"Oh," Sora responded, nodding with vigor. "Oh, sure, sure, I'll go." He nearly crashed headlong into the entrance hall's exit door as he went. Stamped upon the glass on the door's other side was in fact, a large sign saying, "KEEP OUT." As Sora blushed and pressed into its handle, the pale girl called up to him again.

"Your final was wonderful," she cried.

Sora felt a strange warmth flutter through him, similar to what happened whenever Nao touched him. Without realizing, he beamed and asked the girl's name. At first she hesitated, then she responded weakly, "You'll find out soon enough."

Sora did not goad her. Instead he burst into the entrance hall and reeled back at the massive gathering of students within. Yips of excitement and wails of dejection pierced the air like knives. Small groups twittered about what next semester would hold. Sora's heart hammered as he pushed his way towards the forecourt. When he finally reached the wall holding the laminated list of students remaining at the academy for the next semester, he crossed his fingers and peered down for his name. When he found it, he cried out in shock. There it was, beside the number 12. Sora Nomura. He was ranked twelfth in his class.

Sora had to grip the wall to stop from fainting. Suddenly, familiar hands were surrounding him. Squall, Yuffie, Aerith, Belle, Hercules, and Joshua gripped his shoulders and roared in approval. They had all made it to the next semester as well. When Sora spied lower down the list, he found that Neku, Roxas, Kairi, and Riku had made it, too. Hayner's name was near the bottom of the list, but Olette and Pence were nowhere to be found. It appeared they would not be continuing with the hero program any longer.

Feverishly Sora glanced around him, holding back tears. When he met the gaze of a blue-eyed boy with spikey, golden blond hair, he gasped and pressed past the crowd towards him. Roxas beamed and held out his arms. When Sora embraced him, he laughed.

"You did it, Sora," Roxas whispered in his ear.

"That key blade did it," Sora amended sheepishly. But Roxas shook his head.

"No, Sora," he insisted. "Your heart won this battle."

Sora couldn't help but blush. As his face turned cherry red, a sly expression painted Roxas' visage.

"So, Sora," he began. "About that promise."

"What promise?" asked Sora.

"That dinner date you promised me if you summoned a key blade," Roxas returned.

"I don't remember promising that!" Sora cried out. "Do I have to pay?"

"No, Sora," Roxas snorted. "I was only joking when I said it."

Sora looked Roxas hard in the eye. Then he slapped the boy's back and threw his arm around his shoulder. Roxas jumped in shock. When he caught Sora's glance, his eyebrows raised.

"I'll take you to dinner, old boy!" Sora sang. "Only I don't want burgers. I can't stand that joint in the forest."

"I've got another place in mind," chuckled Roxas in return. "You'll like it. They sell sea salt ice cream."

"What's sea salt ice cream?" asked Sora.

"A desert for friends," responded Roxas. Sora beamed. Then, he pressed his hand to Roxas' chest in excitement.

"We've still got a couple hours before brunch. Want to go swimming in the mangroves?"

"Of course," Roxas responded. "After school ends I'll take you to a real beach on the Land of Departure's west coast."

Sora nearly sobbed at the thought of pearly white sand and salt water. He could almost hear the sound of the waves back at Destiny Islands crashing against his ears, along with the bubbling of laughter, thunking and scraping of oars on boats, and the rustle of trees near his, Kairi's, and Riku's secret place.

"A beach sounds like the best thing in the world," he sighed.

The sun shone brightly above them as the pair ran up to the dorms to get their swimsuits. Sora blew a kiss at his beach ball and parasol, promising to finally use them by the week's end. Then, he and Roxas charged into the front hall, through the forecourt, down the mountain path, and deep into the trees, where large whiskered fish dipped through mangrove infested waters, and the heat was so vicious that all you could do was bath yourself in the cool river below and smile.

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 **A/N: Aww... and there it is! The end of Hero Academy Year 1! Remember to FAVORITE! You might ask, "but where is the second semester?" And my answer to you is... you shall find out in Year 2 (** **mwa ha ha!)**

 **Thank you all for coming on this crazy ride with me... Year 2 IS OFFICIALLY UP! and panning out to be a third longer than this one.** **I can tell you for certain, it is angstier, spicier, and dare I say sadder. I'm already a ways into it, and it is entering M rating territory. I will keep it T as long as possible. But the switch is inevitable.**

 **Shout out to my awesome reviewers. ForsakenXIII, you will get your beloved RoxasxSora, worry not. Sora will "connect" with others as well, though. Vanitas is still an asshole, what's new. Riku's journey to hero-dom becomes... interesting. Any who. Guest R12, shoutout to your amazing reviews! So detailed and informative! They always pep me up for the next chapter! And my other guests, I don't have individual names for you, but you're awesome too! Jackieredfield, your reviews pop up every once in a while, thanks for staying on and being enthusiastic! I write stories that I would enjoy reading, and you all enjoying them makes them effortless to write!**

 **PS. IMPORTANT! The next installment will be coming in HOT in anywhere from 5 days to 2 weeks. It will be called HERO ACADEMY YEAR TWO (original, I know) and it will have the same PICTURE, CHARACTERS, etc. Please look for it! YOU WILL BE THRILLED!**

 **Pss. (not AS important) I will try making the chapters prettier. I've seen a few impeccably designed fictions floating around this website and I'm like, damn, they're pretty. My chapters look like a long email. There shall be beauty!**

 **Thank you all! Read on!**


	43. Important Author's Note

~X~

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 **A/N:**

 **Hello, all! This is just a note to notify all of my dedicated readers that Hero Academy Year Two is up and running. I'm one chapter in, and I've noticed I haven't gotten any reviews or follows yet! T.T I don't know how fan fiction notifies people about chapter updates, but I thought I'd add an extra chapter here to get everyone excited about the next installment! Please keep reading!**

 **Thanks,**

 **Chatting Airborne**

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~X~


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